Yoon Seok-yeol Cornered, Revitalizes Atmosphere with Youth Pledges

Emphasizing the Image of 'Youth=Fairness=Yoon Seok-yeol'
Reorganization of the Gender Equality and Family Ministry, Strengthening Punishment for False Accusation Crimes, etc.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Yoon Seok-yeol, the former Prosecutor General and a presidential candidate from the People Power Party who has been on the defensive amid various controversies, has announced youth policy pledges in an effort to revitalize the atmosphere.

On the 21st, Yoon unveiled his youth policy pledges, presenting four key themes: ▲guaranteeing a fair starting line ▲fair college admissions and employment ▲fair law enforcement ▲fair gender equality. Compared to his intra-party primary rival, Representative Hong Jun-pyo, Yoon’s support among young people has been relatively low, and through this announcement, he appears to be emphasizing the image of ‘Youth = Fairness = Yoon Seok-yeol.’

At the time of his political declaration, Yoon pledged to create a ‘country where youth do not feel anger,’ and thus, his plans to provide a fair starting line were prominently mentioned. A representative measure is the payment of a monthly ‘Youth Leap Guarantee Fund’ of 500,000 won to vulnerable youth to prevent the ‘inheritance of debt.’ He also promised to introduce a ‘Youth Leap Account’ system, where the state subsidizes contributions for all youth.

Regarding the employment environment, he proposed the ‘Secret Inspector System for Admission Corruption’ and a ‘One-Strike-Out System.’ His legislative pledges include operating an electronic monitoring system and introducing a protective custody system to increase the severity of punishment and management of heinous sex offenders. He also pledged to strengthen penalties for false accusations related to violent crimes and sexual violence, and to lower the age of criminal responsibility for juvenile offenders from 14 to under 12 years old.

Like other presidential candidates from the People Power Party, he included pledges emphasizing ‘gender equality.’ He plans to reorganize the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family into the ‘Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Affairs’ and to support ‘single fathers,’ who have been neglected in childcare and parenting support. Yoon explained, "The older generation hastily judged youth from their own perspective and did not even try to understand what youth truly want," adding that he has prepared policies that the younger generation can genuinely feel.