CONSTITUTION OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF SEOUL (BASS)
1. Name. The group shall be known as the British Association of Seoul, South Korea commonly known as BASS or the ‘British Association.’
2. Purpose. The purpose of BASS is to provide an opportunity for friendship among foreign residents and Korean nationals who have a shared expat journey, whilst living in the Republic of Korea and to support local charities and other worthy causes.
3. Membership
3.1 Full Membership. Membership of BASS shall be open to all foreign nationals living in Korea and Korean nationals who have a shared experience of living as an expat outside of Korea for at least one year. BASS is open to individuals of all nationalities who have an interest in British community and culture and in the aims of the organisation. The President and committee retain the right to refuse membership.
3.2 Honorary Membership. The committee may award Honorary memberships, eg. key staff of the British Embassy and the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea. Honorary members will not have voting rights.
3.3 Honorary Patron. The spouse of the Ambassador of the British Embassy to the Republic of Korea shall be invited to accept the position of Honorary Patron. This position will have full voting rights.
3.4 Membership Subscription. All members shall pay an annual subscription due 1st September, or at the time of joining. This membership fee shall be determined annually by the committee. All memberships expire on 31st August each year. Membership is conferred at the time of receipt of payment of the annual subscription.
3.5 Guests. Members may bring guests to most events and a guest fee may be charged. Guest fees are determined by the committee.
3.6 Commitment to Equality. BASS will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, race (including colour, ethnicity or national origin) sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, religious or political belief, pregnancy or maternity, marital status, or age.
3.7 Code of Conduct. Members are expected to act and communicate in a respectful, courteous and professional manner towards each other in all social forums and chat groups. Personal attacks or bullying behaviour will not be tolerated and members may be asked to leave the association.
3.8 Dispute Resolution. Any personal disputes between members are expected to be resolved privately outside of group communication. The President, upon their discretion, may revoke membership of anyone who engages in disrespectful or bullying behaviour for the purpose of upholding the association’s aims of promoting friendship.
4. Committee
4.1 Management. The management of BASS shall be entrusted to the committee.
4.2 Elections. The committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. BASS shall have an elected committee composed of a President and committee members to support BASS activities for the year.
4.3 Presidency Qualifications. The President shall be British. In the event that a British national cannot be identified, BASS members will relinquish all assets (gmail account and all its contents, website access, social media passwords, and remaining monies) to the British Embassy or the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea until a British President can be identified.
4.4 Terms. The President and committee members shall serve for a period of one year and may be re-elected. Presidents may serve two consecutive years and may be re-elected after a two year break.
4.5 Interim President. In the event that the President’s position becomes vacant during their elected period of office, the President shall appoint a committee member to assume the role of Interim President until the next Annual General Meeting.
4.6 Duration of Office. All committee positions shall be deemed vacant at the Annual General Meeting. Newly elected committee members shall take up office after the Annual General Meeting.
4.7 Committee Members. The President may, in consultation with other elected committee members, appoint further committee roles as required.
4.8 Meetings. The committee shall meet as required to conduct the business of BASS. A committee shall form a quorum when 51% of committee members are present.
5. Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting shall be held in January at which time the President and the committee members will hold elections and tend to any other needed business items. For decisions requiring a vote of the members, 20% of the membership shall be present.
6. Allocation of Funds for Charity
6.1 Membership Fees. Membership fees are allocated to cover the daily administrative costs of BASS such as the website, marketing, prizes, flowers, and gifts for BASS events. Any remaining funds go to Sister Gerardine's Myongdo charity, a long term partner of BASS and any other charities as decided by the committee.
6.2 Charity Selection. Recommendations for allocation of funds for charity may be made by any member. Members may submit a worthy cause to the committee for consideration at any time.
6.3 Allocation of Funds to Charities. The committee shall decide what proportion of funds shall be allocated. Should any charity not be selected, satisfactory reasons must be made available to the member who made the recommendation.
6.4 Allocation of Funds for Emergencies. The committee retains the right to allocate emergency relief funds at any time.
6.5 Commitment to Continuity. Subsequent committees must honour all charitable donation commitments made by previous committees.
7. Amendments to the Constitution. Proposed amendments should be presented to the committee and the membership for consideration and passed by a vote at the AGM. Providing a quorum is present, the constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of members present.
BASS Constitution ( January, 2025)