'Gongbu-ui Sin' Kang Seong-tae comments on 1996-born Park Seong-min's appointment as Blue House Secretary: "Top over Gongshin, curious about his success secrets"

'God of Study' Kang Seong-tae./Photo by YouTube

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] YouTuber Kang Seong-tae, known as the "God of Studying," indirectly expressed a critical stance about Park Seong-min, the youth secretary who entered the Blue House at the age of 25, saying, "I feel a bit sorry for the Gongsin (God of Studying) community, but this person seems to be the top."

On the 21st, Kang posted a video titled "How a 25-year-old college student passes the Blue House Grade 1 civil servant exam" on his YouTube channel "God of Studying Kang Seong-tae," where he made these remarks.

He began by saying, "(To civil service exam students) I used to tell them to quit if they weren't going to study 10 hours a day. So, the students really study 10 hours a day to become Grade 9 civil servants," adding, "But now, someone has become a Grade 1 civil servant at 25, not even Grade 9."

He continued, "We have invited a few Gongsin who passed the administrative exam to Gongsin.com for filming. Even passing that terrifying exam gets you to Grade 5, and after about 25 years of work and some luck, you might reach Grade 1. But this person became Grade 1 at the age of 25," explaining, "This is equivalent to the level of a provincial governor or a corps commander."

He added, "Every year, we invite national top scorers to Gongsin.com, the fastest passers of various exams, those who passed the world's top companies or public institutions, basically all the true Gongsin in Korea, to hear their secrets to success, but this person seems to be the top."

Kang said, "If only we could know how (Secretary Park) passed, how he handled the interview, what route he took, how fierce the competition was, and how he overcame slumps, I would definitely want to invite him to share his methods, even if it means studying 18 hours a day instead of 10," adding, "Since his work is for the youth, I hope he would share such know-how."

Park Sung-min, Youth Secretary at the Blue House. / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, the Blue House appointed Secretary Park as the new youth secretary on the 21st. Park was selected as the Democratic Party youth spokesperson in 2019 and served as a Supreme Council member during former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon's tenure last year. He is currently known to be enrolled in the Korean Language and Literature department at Korea University.

Blue House spokesperson Park Kyung-mi stated at a briefing that "Secretary Park has shown balance by expressing his opinions firmly on current issues and listening to diverse voices while serving as a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party," adding, "We expect him to better understand and communicate the difficulties of youth from a youth perspective."

However, some voices have criticized the fairness of Secretary Park's appointment. On the 22nd, the People Power Party Staff Association issued a statement calling the Blue House personnel move "not a breakthrough but a comedy," criticizing, "This kind of appointment does not win the hearts of the youth but only provokes anger."

In response, Lee Cheol-hee, Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, said on a radio show, "Secretary Park has been active in the party and social activities and has been evaluated and verified, so he is fully qualified," adding, "Although it is a Grade 1 position, it is a political appointment without a fixed term, and no matter how long, it only lasts until President Moon Jae-in's term ends. Please understand this as an expression of the intention to address youth issues more from the youth's perspective."