"Political Exploitation of Gender Conflict... Is Justice Party Following Ha Tae-kyung and Lee Jun-seok?"

Kang Min-jin, Youth Justice Party Leader: "Empty Proposals to Win Votes"
"Fair Compensation Must Be Paid to Exploited Youth"
On 'Transition to Volunteer Military System': "The Direction Our Society Should Take"
Dismissing Military Bonus Point System Revival as "Not a Practical Alternative"

Kang Min-jin, Leader of the Youth Justice Party / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Kang Minjin, leader of the Youth Justice Party, recently criticized some ruling party lawmakers who raised military service-related policies such as the introduction of a volunteer military system, gender-equal service, and the reintroduction of military bonus points. Kang pointed out, "Instead of empty proposals aimed at winning the votes of 'Inamja' (male voters in their 20s), start by properly paying the young people who are being exploited without even receiving the minimum wage."

On the 19th, Kang said at the Justice Party leadership meeting, "Democratic Party figures are consecutively making proposals related to the military."

He added, "The volunteer military system is the direction our society should move toward, but soldiers' salaries are an immediate issue. The state must promptly declare that soldiers serving in the military are not entities to be subjected to free labor or forced labor under the guise of 'patriotic pay' but deserve guaranteed labor compensation, including the minimum wage."

However, Kang expressed support for the volunteer military system proposal mentioned by Democratic Party lawmaker Park Yongjin, saying, "The Justice Party has also adopted the Korean-style volunteer military system as a party policy since 2016. I actively agree with the transition to a volunteer military system."

He continued, "But since the 17th presidential election, presidential candidates have mentioned the volunteer military system at least once, yet there has been no progress, and the public is tired of it. This is why Park Yongjin's volunteer military proposal, as a presidential candidate, feels like an expected move."

Some members of the ruling party are discussing policies to capture the votes of 'Inamja,' such as reintroducing military service bonus points, abolishing the conscription system, and implementing gender-equal military service. / Photo by Asia Economy DB

Regarding the 'gender-equal service system,' Kang criticized, "Park proposed the volunteer military system by emphasizing mandatory military training for women, making it seem like the volunteer military system is a response to one side of the gender conflict. To realize the volunteer military system, social consensus must not be built by fueling gender conflicts."

He strongly criticized Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Yonggi, who expressed intentions to reintroduce the military bonus point system, saying, "It is nothing more than 'imitating Ha Tae-kyung and Lee Jun-seok' to compete for attention through gender conflict and political profiteering."

He added, "The military bonus point system has already been ruled unconstitutional and cannot be revived. Everyone knows it is not a realistic alternative."

Meanwhile, Park, who declared his intention to run for president next year, published 'Park Yongjin's Political Revolution' on the same day. In this book, Park reportedly explained in detail the plan to abolish conscription and introduce a mixed military service system called gender-equal service, which mandates basic military training for all citizens.

Park Yong-jin, Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding this, Park wrote on his Facebook the day before (the 18th), "This is a proposal made with the expectation of controversy, and I am disclosing the specific proposal content. I propose the introduction of a gender-equal service system where the military is maintained mainly by volunteers, and all citizens, regardless of gender, are required to undergo about 40 to 100 days of basic military training."

He emphasized, "Based on the volunteer military system and gender-equal service, we will promote the cultivation of an elite strong military centered on cutting-edge weapon systems and combat readiness, as well as the training of reservists."

Meanwhile, Jeon Yonggi, the youngest first-term Democratic Party lawmaker, wrote on Facebook on the 15th, "I plan to proceed with discussions on reintroducing military bonus points," emphasizing, "If it cannot be reintroduced because it is unconstitutional, we should amend the constitution so that discharged soldiers can receive at least minimal compensation."