'96-born' Park Seongmin Appointed as 청년 Secretary at Blue House... "Relative Deprivation," "What Achievements Has He Made?"

"Is Park Seongmin an Expert on Youth Policy in Korea?...Populism"

Former Senior Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, Park Sung-min. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Park Seongmin, born in 1996 and former Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, has recently been appointed as the Youth Secretary at the Blue House, drawing attention. Meanwhile, on the anonymous bulletin board for National Assembly workers called 'Yeouido Next Bamboo Forest,' critical reactions such as "Is it okay for national appointments to be this populist?" and "What exactly did he do to become Youth Secretary?" have emerged.

On the 22nd, a National Assembly worker, Mr. A, said through 'Yeouido Next Bamboo Forest,' "I felt a pang of jealousy upon hearing the news of a certain former Supreme Council member’s appointment as Youth Secretary," and added, "The so-called pro-Moon faction claims, 'Have the 2030 generation males been abandoned?' and 'Why was a feminist figure appointed?' However, I do not want to get involved in this debate."

He continued, "The essence of the Youth Secretary issue lies elsewhere," and said, "It is about relative deprivation. What achievements has the Supreme Council member, brought in as a shocking appointment by the former ruling party leader, actually made? Have the living conditions of young people improved?"

He added, "It was merely a desperate attempt to imitate existing politicians," and criticized, "It only gives the impression that if you have good luck or connections, you can succeed without much effort."

Mr. A also said, "Since the leader of the main opposition party is young, the ruling party tries to put youth at the forefront. This is a huge misconception," and explained, "In the case of the opposition party leader who entered politics as an emergency committee member, he had the experience of struggling hard in his constituency like hitting the bare ground, a solid background as a science high school graduate and Harvard alumnus, and experience leading startups and volunteer organizations. That person happened to be young."

Furthermore, he said, "The ruling party seems to simplistically think that putting young people in place is the solution because established politicians get criticized," and added, "Young people’s sentiment is 'We dislike you politicians,' not 'Bring us young people,' which is certain."

A post uploaded on the anonymous bulletin board for National Assembly staff, 'Yeouido Next Bamboo Forest.' Photo by Facebook screen capture.

Another National Assembly worker, Mr. B, also raised criticism by describing Secretary Park as a "Level 1 Blue House Secretary who doesn’t even have the ability of a Level 9 clerk."

Mr. B said, "I am indeed envious of Secretary Park, who became a Cinderella, but I want to ask if it is really acceptable for a national appointment to be this populist," and pointed out, "The position of Blue House Secretary is to coordinate government national policies at the final stage to assist the president in making correct decisions. It is not a position to appeal to the president about the difficulties of youth and make him understand."

He continued, "The core issue is whether Secretary Park is an expert in youth policy in our country, or whether he has the capability regardless of age, which is a matter of fairness," and sharply criticized, "Appealing to the difficulties of youth as a 24-year-old and being the Blue House Secretary in charge of overall youth policy in the Republic of Korea are completely different areas. Is there anything beyond 'Since Lee Jun-seok is rising, let’s try a 24-year-old too'?"

Meanwhile, Secretary Park was appointed as the Democratic Party youth spokesperson in 2019 and served as a Supreme Council member during Lee Nak-yeon’s party leadership last year. After completing his sophomore year in Korean Language and Literature at Gangnam University, he transferred to Korea University’s Korean Language and Literature department, where he is currently enrolled. Appointed as the youngest secretary, Secretary Park plans to take a leave of absence from school while serving as secretary.