Jeon Nam-do Councilor Woo Seung-hee Points Out "Youth Committee Appointment Rate Only 2.8%"

Seunghee Woo, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Woo Seung-hee, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party·Yeongam 1), strongly demanded an increase in the proportion of youth members among the Jeonnam Provincial Committees.

According to the data on the current status of youth members in each Jeonnam Provincial Committee submitted by Assemblyman Woo Seung-hee on the 29th, among the 2,710 appointed members of the 160 committees currently operated by Jeonnam Province, only 75 are youth members.

While the “Jeollanam-do Youth Policy Coordination Committee,” which must appoint at least half of its members as youth, has 20 youth members out of 38, youth-related committees such as those for job policies have only about 0.1% youth representation.

In particular, 135 of the 160 committees, accounting for 84%, have no youth members at all, and the legally mandated Youth Employment Promotion Special Committee has not been formed.

Assemblyman Woo Seung-hee stated, “Only 2.8% of the members of various Jeonnam Provincial committees are youth under the age of 40,” and argued, “The proportion of youth in various committees should be significantly increased according to the purpose of laws and ordinances so that young people can participate in the policy decision-making process.”

He added, “The current Youth Basic Act and its enforcement decree mandate youth participation and opinion gathering in the youth policy decision-making process,” and “The Coordination Committee, Local Youth Policy Coordination Committee, and Youth Employment Promotion Special Committee must appoint at least half of their members as youth, and committees designated by city or provincial governors must appoint at least one-tenth as youth.”

He further noted, “The Jeollanam-do Youth Basic Ordinance stipulates that when forming committees mainly dealing with youth policies, at least one-tenth of the appointed members should be youth,” but “since youth policy-related committees are not specifically designated, the appointment status is also low. Although the need for youth policies has been emphasized for years, it remains only a slogan.”

Additionally, he emphasized, “Regulating the participation of youth, who are the stakeholders, in youth policy decisions and all fields such as politics, economy, society, and culture is intended to provide equal growth opportunities for youth and to hear their voices.”