[Politics, That Day...] The Oldest Candidate in the General Election, Grandmother I Yong-su's '12-Day Short Dream'

2012 19th General Election Democratic United Party Proportional Representation Application... Fierce Nomination Competition, Failed to Achieve Dream of Becoming a Member of the National Assembly

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] ‘Politics, That Day…’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, and figures.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"I absolutely cannot die without resolving the comfort women issue." On March 8, 2012, at the Democratic United Party Daegu City Branch, the oldest candidate for the 19th general election announced her candidacy.

The protagonist was Grandma Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military comfort women system. Born in 1928, Grandma Lee Yong-soo chose to run as a proportional representation candidate for the Democratic United Party at the age of 84. She was the oldest among the Democratic United Party’s proportional representation candidates.

When an ‘80s political newcomer’ threw her hat into the ring with the goal of resolving the Japanese military comfort women issue, the media showed interest. At the March 8 press conference, Choi Yong-sang, president of the Pacific War Victims’ Families Association, and Lee Jung-woo, former Blue House Policy Chief, were present.

Grandma Lee Yong-soo’s challenge was not an easy choice. Although she was a ‘human rights activist’ who led the resolution for an apology through testimony at the 2007 U.S. House of Representatives hearing and a symbolic figure as a comfort women victim, the political arena was a space where fierce competition with prominent figures awaited.

Grandma Lee Yong-soo appealed to the Democratic United Party, saying, “As a living witness of history, I am more confident than anyone else in handling Korea-Japan issues and human rights matters,” asking them to select her as a proportional representation candidate. Ahead of the 19th general election, the Democratic United Party had high expectations for victory. It was evaluated that they could become the largest party in the National Assembly, differing only in the number of seats.

On the 25th, citizens at the Seoul Station waiting room are watching the live broadcast of the second press conference of comfort woman victim Grandmother Lee Yong-soo. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The competition for proportional representation nominations was also fierce. As expectations grew that the Democratic United Party would win, many symbolic figures from key sectors entered the nomination race. For the Democratic United Party to nominate Grandma Lee Yong-soo, a ‘political judgment’ was necessary.

This meant that more politically capable and symbolically significant figures than Grandma Lee Yong-soo had to be excluded to create a vacancy in the winning ranks. Ultimately, Grandma Lee Yong-soo’s challenge ended after 12 days. Her dream of becoming a member of the National Assembly to resolve the Japanese military comfort women issue and then pass away was dashed.

On March 20, the Democratic United Party announced the results of the 19th general election proportional representation nominations. The number one proportional representation candidate was Jeon Soon-ok, sister of martyr Jeon Tae-il and head of the Participation Solidarity Labor Welfare Center.

Following her were Eun Soo-mi, associate researcher at the Korea Labor Institute; Jin Sun-mi, chairwoman of the Women’s Human Rights Committee of the Korean Bar Association (lawyer); Bae Jae-jung, dismissed reporter of Busan Ilbo (president of the Busan Women Journalists Association); Nam Yoon-in-soon, president of the Korean Women’s Associations United; Han Jung-ae, head of external cooperation at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; and Jang Ha-na, special external cooperation committee chair of the Democratic United Party, who took the top spots among female proportional representation candidates.

At that time, Han Myeong-sook, then party leader, was number 15 on the proportional representation list; Kim Hyun, former Blue House Press Secretary, was number 17; Choi Min-hee, external cooperation committee chair of People’s Command, was number 19. Number 21 was Im Soo-kyung, known as the ‘flower of unification.’ Proportional representation candidate number 21, Im Soo-kyung, was the cutoff line for female proportional representation winners in the 19th general election.

A statue has been erected at the Nanum House Memorial Park in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, on the 25th, the day of the second press conference of grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Grandma Lee Yong-soo was excluded during the Democratic United Party’s proportional representation nomination screening process. Considering her age of 84, it was difficult to get another chance to run for the National Assembly. The ‘12-day dream’ from Grandma Lee Yong-soo’s announcement of her candidacy (press conference) to her final elimination was thus crushed.

Grandma Lee Yong-soo is recently at the center of controversy surrounding the Justice and Memory Foundation. Various evaluations are being made regarding her claims. What was the reason Grandma Lee Yong-soo gave up her dream of becoming a member of the National Assembly eight years ago? What was the cause of her elimination during the proportional representation screening process?

There is an analysis that age was an obstacle. However, Park Ji-won of the Minsheng Party and Seo Cheong-won of the Our Republican Party, who ran as candidates in the 21st general election in 2020, were both 77 years old.

It is true that Grandma Lee Yong-soo was older, but considering the vigorous activity of Park Ji-won, who was approaching 80, it is questionable to generalize that older individuals cannot serve as members of the National Assembly.

What if Grandma Lee Yong-soo had received a high proportional representation ranking from the Democratic United Party in 2012 and been elected as a member of the National Assembly? The assumption that she would be insufficient to bear the pressure of the position might be a prejudice. Although her scope of activity might have been narrower than that of younger politicians, she might have emerged as a symbolic figure in resolving the comfort women issue and left her name in political history.