"Voices of Out-of-School Youth," "Youth Labor Rights," "Love for the Community"... Promises of Teenage Candidates Running for the First Time in Local Elections Draw Attention

Interest in First Local Election After Lowering Voting Age to 18
7 Candidates Nationwide...Focus on Daily Life Promises Instead of Political Slogans

10th-grade candidates running in the 8th local elections, Noh Seo-jin, Shin Eun-jin, Kim Kyung-joo (from left)/Photo by candidates Noh Seo-jin, Shin Eun-jin, Kim Kyung-joo

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Gun-chan] A new point of interest in the 8th nationwide local elections (hereafter local elections) to be held on June 1 is the teenage candidates. This election is the first to apply the revised Public Official Election Act, which lowered the eligibility age for candidacy from 25 to 18 last December.

There are seven teenage candidates running in this local election. Asia Economy met three teenage candidates?Noh Seo-jin (Justice Party proportional representative for Seoul Metropolitan Council), Shin Eun-jin (Progressive Party proportional representative for Gyeonggi Provincial Council), and Kim Kyung-joo (Democratic Party candidate for Gyeongbuk Gyeongju City District City Council)?to hear about their pledges and aspirations.

◆Noh Seo-jin, a 4th-year politician... "I will listen to out-of-school youth and create a Seoul that responds to the climate crisis"

At the Justice Party Central Headquarters, candidate Noh Seo-jin of the Justice Party is speaking.
Photo by Intern Reporter Kim Gun-chan kgc6008@asiae.co.kr

Noh Seo-jin, born in June 2002 and a Justice Party candidate, is a figure with four years of political experience despite being a teenager. She joined the Justice Party in 2018 and has served as the chairperson of the Youth Committee. Noh said, "I once happened to see the motto of a girls' middle and high school, and most of the content was outdated, such as 'purity,' 'beauty,' and 'modesty.' Through a survey project on the mottos of middle and high schools in Gangwon Province, I brought the issue to public attention and actually led the revision. Through this process, I realized that problems or wrong things can be changed."

Noh wants to create a Seoul that responds to the climate crisis. She believes that expanding public transportation use is urgent to reduce carbon emissions and tackle the climate crisis. Noh pledged "free public transportation for youth," saying, "Many young people feel anxious that their future could disappear due to the climate crisis." She emphasized, "I want to create an environment where citizens can move freely through a transfer system between public bicycles and public transportation."

She also expressed her ambition to solve the issues faced by out-of-school youth, who have been neglected so far. Noh stated, "Until now, youth policies in the Seoul Metropolitan Council have focused on students attending school. I will be a council member who speaks for out-of-school youth, whom the city has not addressed before." To this end, she added that she plans to enact the 'Youth Self-Reliance Support Ordinance.'

◆Shin Eun-jin, who advocates 'teenage politics beyond discrimination'... "No more deaths of field trainees; society where they work safely must be created"

Shin Eun-jin, the Progressive Party candidate, is speaking at a cafe in Seongnam.
Photo by Kim Gun-chan, intern reporter kgc6008@asiae.co.kr

Born in February 2003 and 19 years old, Shin Eun-jin of the Progressive Party ran for Gyeonggi Provincial Council with the slogan "teenage politics beyond discrimination." Raised in a single-parent family and a graduate of a specialized high school, she has participated in labor union activities to protect the rights of field trainees. Her motivation to enter politics was the death of her peer Hong Jung-woon during field training at a yacht dock in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, last October. Shin said, "Every year, industrial accidents involving field trainees occur, but safety measures and supervision have not improved at all. Since labor union activities alone cannot comprehensively address the problem, I felt that political support is necessary."

Shin believes that society changes thanks to workers. With a belief that the value of labor must come first, she entered politics herself. She said, "I ran to speak directly about the reality of specialized high schools as a youth worker." She explained that most specialized high schools have a school rule stating that "students are responsible for accidents caused by their own negligence during field training." "Schools and companies are shifting the responsibility for field training accidents onto students," she said.

Shin expressed her ambition to create a society where all field trainees can work safely by enacting the 'Specialized High School Graduate Employment Support Ordinance,' which includes the operation and budget expansion for field training. She also emphasized her desire to practice politics that transcend discrimination as a graduate of a specialized high school, a woman, a multicultural individual, and a high school graduate worker.

◆Kim Kyung-joo, who proclaimed 'Love for Gyeongju'... "I will solve small local issues rather than grand narratives"

Kim Kyung-joo, the Democratic Party candidate, is campaigning. Photo by candidate Kim Kyung-joo

Born in September 2003, Kim Kyung-joo is the youngest among the three candidates and is full of affection for the Gyeongju area where he was born and raised. He claimed that being a young politician differentiated from established politicians is his strength and competitiveness. Kim said, "I hope young people around here love Gyeongju rather than leaving."

Kim particularly pointed out, "In elections, we have elected many people with extensive experience and have seen failures. A problem always pointed out to local council members is a lack of integrity." His philosophy is that young politicians who are not entangled in vested interests and who love their local community should participate in politics.

Kim explained that he wants to solve small local issues rather than grand regional narratives. In fact, he showed interest in solving the village issue of 'Witdongcheon-gil' in Dongcheon-dong, Gyeongju. His goal is to bring city gas to this area, which has been excluded from development, to alleviate residents' inconveniences.

Kim argued, "To practically solve big issues like regionalism or unbalanced development, small problems must be solved first." He believes that by solving small problems one by one in a small city like Gyeongju, it will be possible to address regionalism and unbalanced development issues in other cities from the bottom up.