Division Even Among Youth Politicians? Jang Ye-chan and Lee Jun-seok Ignite the 'Real Youth' Debate

"Stop Lee's self-centered politics, pro-Lee Jun-seok faction who never socialized are ridiculous"
Pro-Lee faction "His arrogance claiming to be true youth politics" backlash continues
Ruling party youth division continues... Lee "If that helps you live well"

Jang Ye-chan, Chairman of the Youth Foundation, issuing a statement criticizing former leader Lee Jun-seok.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yunjin Kim] Jang Ye-chan, chairman of the Youth Foundation, directly criticized former People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok, saying, "I hope you do not practice double standards in front of the noble phrase 'putting the country before oneself,'" igniting conflict among young politicians within the PPP. Alongside debates over the representation of young politicians, divisions among young politicians surrounding former leader Lee within the party have become visible.

On the 18th, Chairman Jang held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, "Within the party, there are not only former leader Lee Jun-seok and pro-Lee young members." Jang served as a youth aide during President Yoon Seok-yeol's transition period and led the Youth Communication Task Force at the Presidential Transition Committee. He criticized former leader Lee, saying, "He has no right to arrogantly claim to put the country before himself in front of other young people who have devoted themselves without even making their names known."

Chairman Jang continued, "If conflicts are incited with language that digs into others' hearts like now, former leader Lee Jun-seok will be blocking the path of youth politics. The same goes for a group of young politicians who indiscriminately criticize the government without affection while siding with former leader Lee." He added, "I will fight alongside young party members who want to build a successful government against the Democratic Party, activist groups, and biased civic organizations instead of engaging in power struggles." While expressing his will to work for the party's success, he criticized the actions of pro-Lee young politicians as mere 'power struggles.'

After the press conference, pro-Lee young figures within the party strongly opposed the remarks. Former Supreme Council member Kim Yong-tae criticized Chairman Jang on his Facebook, saying, "Everyone knows that the responsibility for the party's confusion lies with the Yoon core group, but they cowardly remain silent on this," and called Chairman Jang a "stooge." Despite criticism of pro-Lee figures, he sharply criticized the "petty and despicable view that dismisses many young party members raising their voices to protect democracy as merely for the party leader." Former spokesperson Lim Seung-ho, selected through the open debate competition "I am the National Representative" promoted by former leader Lee, also raised the criticism level, saying, "The claim that what he and his close associates have achieved is real youth politics, and what former leader Lee has done is fake youth politics, is arrogance, stubbornness, and dangerous."

In response, Chairman Jang fired back, saying, "The SNS (social networking service) politics of the 'Yeouido 2 PM youth' group is ridiculous," further escalating the conflict. 'Yeouido 2 PM youth' is a term criticizing young politicians who have no other jobs. On the 19th, Chairman Jang posted on his Facebook, "Spokespersons of NaGukDae (I am the National Representative) whom I have never even heard of, and former youth supreme council member Kim Yong-tae who declared assets worth 2 billion won after two years and can do politics without worrying about money. Besides politics or broadcasting, what kind of social life have they experienced? Have they ever experienced the employment and independence issues that ordinary young people face?" He sharply urged pro-Lee figures to reflect on their youth representation.

Meanwhile, former leader Lee commented on the Facebook post containing Chairman Jang's press conference content on the 18th, saying, "If that helps you live better, I will support you," implying that Chairman Jang's criticism was a political maneuver. Regarding this, Chairman Jang pointed out in an interview with TV Chosun on the 19th, "When it is difficult to refute the message, they attack the messenger. It is a debating technique that substitutes criticism of the opponent as being for personal gain or political benefit," and added, "The public is very tired of this kind of nitpicking debate."

As divisions among young politicians in the People Power Party centered on former leader Lee Jun-seok have become overt, it is expected that the voices of non-Lee young members will grow louder, starting with Chairman Jang's critical statement. When asked about the number of young party members opposing former leader Lee after the press conference on the 18th, Chairman Jang replied, "It's childish, but if it comes down to a numbers game, (pro-Lee and non-Lee factions) will be evenly split about half and half." He added, "Many 2030 young party members within the party are concerned that only the voices of pro-Lee figures are being emphasized," and "Young party members who hold different opinions are gathering, and they plan to release a collective statement soon."