Partnership is ubiquitous in international development discourse, but it is unclear whether development relationships have become less hierarchical. This study looks beyond the usual North–South inter‐organizational partnerships, to examine within‐organizational dynamics. It examines participation in the context of two South Korean non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) in Cambodia. Findings based on qualitative interviews with Korean leaders and local Cambodian managers show shortfalls yet overall improvements in participation, with a shift from a managerialist to a more praxis approach. The study shows that examining within‐organizational power relations provides an important window into the real nature of participation, empowerment and partnership in development cooperation practices.