[22nd Rising Star] ① Climate and Environment Expert Park Ji-hye Elected... "I Will Lead the Energy Transition"

PhD in Environmental Law... 'Climate Specialist Lawyer'
"Yoon Administration Delays Expansion of Renewable Energy"
"I Want to Focus on 'Energy Transition' in the Industry Committee"

Editor's NoteThere are 131 first-term lawmakers entering the 22nd National Assembly. This is the lowest number since the 16th National Assembly in 2000, which had 112. The public hopes that amid the current situation of a ruling party minority and opposition majority, these lawmakers will lead politics of dialogue and compromise to achieve tangible results. We introduce 22 elected officials expected to bring a fresh breeze to the 22nd National Assembly. ① Park Ji-hye

Park Ji-hye, elected representative of the Democratic Party for Uijeongbu City Gap, Gyeonggi Province (45), was recruited to the Democratic Party as a 'climate and environmental expert.' As a civil society activist responding to the climate crisis and a lawyer specializing in environmental litigation, she expressed her ambition to focus on 'energy transition' in the 22nd National Assembly.

In an interview with Asia Economy, Representative Park said, "We must restore the 'climate crisis response foundation' that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration has destroyed," and explained her reason for entering politics: "The current situation, where the Yoon government is obsessed with expanding nuclear power, causing the renewable energy industry to shrink and industrial hollowing out to occur, must be corrected." She emphasized, "I believe 'climate is economy.' Climate crisis response is a core agenda directly linked to Korea's industrial competitiveness and job issues."

Representative Park was born in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province. From a young age, she was interested in mathematics and science and entered Gyeonggi Science High School. At that time, her future aspiration was to become an engineer, but after reading the biography of the world-renowned ethologist Dr. Jane Goodall, she became deeply interested in environmental issues. She double-majored in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering and Business Administration at Seoul National University and earned a master's degree in Environmental Management and Policy from Lund University in Sweden.

After working in corporate environmental management, she entered Seoul National University Law School when her child was just over one year old. After obtaining her lawyer's license, she worked at the Green Legal Center, which specializes in legal responses to environmental issues, the nonprofit organization Plan 1.5, which aims to reduce greenhouse gases, and the Energy Transition Forum, a corporation that shares information in the energy transition field.

The Energy Transition Forum has Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader, as an advisor. However, Representative Park explained, "Leader Lee participated at the founding, but since I joined recently, I have not met him at the organization," adding, "Former Minister Won Hee-ryong was also an advisor at the founding. It is an organization where people interested in energy transition participate regardless of political party." Regarding her choice of the Democratic Party, she said, "Because it is a party actively supporting energy transition."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is shaking hands with climate crisis expert lawyer Park Ji-hye at the first talent recruitment ceremony held at the National Assembly on December 11 last year. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Representative Park expressed her hope to join the Industry, Trade, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee (San-ja-wi) in the 22nd National Assembly. She said, "I want to address energy transition issues from an industrial perspective," and added, "Through my climate activities, I have felt that improving the industrial structure is more important than simply reducing energy use." She continued, "In San-ja-wi, I will engage in legislative activities for industrial transition such as enacting the 'Korean-style IRA (Carbon Neutral Industry Act),' expanding support for corporate RE100 (100% renewable energy use), and creating a K-carbon neutral ecosystem."

She also has specific ambitions for the development of her constituency. "I will promote the expansion and relocation of Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center," she said, adding, "Uijeongbu City is a commercial and service hub in northern Gyeonggi Province, so I will also prepare support measures for small business owners." Furthermore, she added, "I will promote Camp Jackson as a special zone free from smart grid and energy storage system development regulations." Camp Jackson was a U.S. Army base located in Howon-dong, Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province, which was closed in 2018. A smart grid refers to a next-generation power grid that integrates ICT technology into the conventional power grid to use energy efficiently.