[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Amid ongoing controversy over the appointment of Park Sung-min as the Blue House Youth Secretary, a website called 'Baktalgan.com' demanding Park's dismissal has been launched, fueling the debate.
According to the site on the 26th, the creator introduced themselves as "a current student at Korea University, like Park Sung-min, the Blue House Youth Secretary," and stated, "(I) have never joined any political party. I was so angry that I had no choice but to create this site." The creator structured the site in a Q&A format to strongly criticize Park's appointment.
On the site, the creator claimed, "On June 21, 2021, the Blue House appointed 25-year-old Park Sung-min, a former Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, as Youth Secretary. Let me explain what the problem is." They added, "Park is a so-called 'top-tier civil servant' with a Grade 1 civil servant rank. However, aside from political party activities, Park has no other employment experience." They also noted, "Being a Supreme Council member is separate from understanding the hardships of youth."
The creator explained, "When preparing for the Grade 5 Administrative Examination, people usually study for over four years, and passing it becomes a family pride. Even after following this elite path, most retire after 30 years without reaching Grade 1." They sarcastically commented on Park receiving briefings from administrative officers after his first day at work, saying, "Even after such hard work to become a Grade 5 civil servant, you end up having to report to a 25-year-old university student with no employment experience."
They continued, "The Youth Secretary is a special Grade 1 civil servant receiving a salary of 4,129,000 KRW. Annually, this amounts to about 50 million KRW, and with various allowances, even more." They added, "Why prepare for employment? Even without graduating university or having any work experience, if you go to Yeouido and say you will represent the youth, you will achieve better results."
Furthermore, the creator criticized Blue House officials, saying, "Young people are currently feeling a great sense of deprivation. If Park remains in that position, young people will take further action." They also urged Park's resignation, stating, "You who accepted the offer are also an accomplice. If you did not know that your presence could cause young people to feel deprived, you are already unqualified. It is not too late now; if you voluntarily step down, you can at least preserve your remaining honor."
Earlier, a petition titled "Request for the dismissal of Park Sung-min, Youth Secretary" was posted on the Blue House petition board. The petitioner, who identified themselves as a young person preparing for civil service, said, "I could not stay silent after seeing the news of Park's appointment." They added, "As an ordinary young person, the emotions I felt upon seeing that news were deprivation, skepticism, helplessness, and futility." They argued, "Since civil service is a hierarchical system, each rank requires long periods of time, effort, and competence to advance," and "Given the clear rules that govern this, the government's decision disregards the entire system."
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