Then ruling People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, left, and then interim leader of Democratic Party of Korea Park Ji-hyun, second from left, sing along during the 42nd anniversary ceremony of May 18 Democratic Uprising held in Gwangju, May 18. Korea Times file by Seo Jae-hoon

New book tells of systematic barrier hindering political participation of Korean youth

By Lee Yeon-woo

The last two years saw a golden period for young politicians in Korean politics.

Lee Jun-seok, then a 36 year old, was elected the leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) in June last year, becoming the youngest politician to rise to that position. As Lee created a buzz, the rival Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) also named 26-year old activist, Park Ji-hyun, to lead the party as an interim leader.

Lee and Park were a breath of fresh air in Korean politics, which is dominated by older politicians.

However, things quickly unraveled. Lee was suspended from party affairs for six months following allegations that he was involved in sexual bribery scandals twice in 2013 and later tried to cover it up. Park, meanwhile, stepped down together with other members of the DPK's decision-making body to take responsibility for its consecutive defeats in the March 9 presidential election and then June 1 local elections.

Former DPK lawmaker Pyo Chang-won was critical of the established political system, claiming youth politicians are not real representatives of the younger generation because senior politicians handpicked the younger politicians.

In the book "There's No Such Thing as Politics for the Youth," eight authors ― including Ra Jong-il, a professor emeritus of Gachon University ― analyze why it's very difficult to find young politicians in their 20s and 30s in Korea.

The Book cover of "There's No Such Thing as Politics for Youth" / Courtesy of Ruach

The book attributes hierarchy in political parties as one of the reasons behind the absence of true youth politics. In political parties, power is centered on a few multi-term politicians and they use their influence to select younger politicians and use them for their own ends, according to co-author Hyun Jong-hee.

Under the current circumstances, Hyun went on to say that younger politicians are not allowed to have their own voice and simply try to curry favor with powerful senior politicians so as to survive.

"As a result, it is hard to expect young politicians to be innovative and take the initiative. While surviving in the party, young politicians lose their 'values.' Then the party dumps them for a 'new face' when the elections come. This goes on and on," Hyun added.

The book suggests another problem exists in Korean culture and the education system. As Korean society strictly follows a hierarchy based on age, being older in politics is considered a sign of experience, whilst young politicians are considered immature ― regardless of aptitude or output. It's also hard for teenagers to experience politics during their hours-long studying day-after-day to enter university.

Compounding those issues is Korea's rapidly aging society. Under this circumstance, youth will struggle to showcase themselves as qualified leaders, according to Lee Sang-ho, a professor of history at Konkuk University. "The barrier of biological age is huge for youth who are looking to implement their ambitious aims within society. They need an additional five to ten years to be at an age where it is acceptable for them to take charge of social leadership."