Mayor Kang Kijeong Encourages High School Students for Their 'First-Ever Vote'
Sharing the Value of the 'History of Suffrage Struggles' at Geumpa Technical High School
"Striving to Achieve a 92.5% Voter Turnout in Gwangju"
Kang Kijeong, mayor of Gwangju, visited Geumpa Technical High School in Buk-gu on the morning of the 15th to encourage students to participate in their 'first-ever vote' and took a commemorative photo afterward. Provided by Gwangju City
On May 15, Kang Kijeong, mayor of Gwangju, met with 18-year-old students at Geumpa Technical High School to discuss the significance of suffrage as they prepared to cast their 'first-ever vote.'
This event was organized ahead of the 21st presidential election to encourage participation among new voters, particularly high school students taking their first steps as eligible voters, by sharing the history and value of voting. In Gwangju, there are 6,457 18-year-old youths who will be voting for the first time in their lives.
Mayor Kang visited the school in person to communicate with the students and delivered messages about the value of democracy and the role of voters.
Mayor Kang said, "The vote we have today is the result of the blood and tears of countless people. In South Korea, it was only in 1987, following the deaths of Park Jongcheol and Lee Hanyeol, that direct presidential elections were introduced." He also discussed the history of struggles for voting rights, including the June Democratic Uprising, the women's suffrage movement, and the Black civil rights movement.
Mayor Kang emphasized, "Suffrage was not something granted naturally, but was only given relatively recently. I urge you to exercise your right to vote for the first time in your life, and for students under 18 who do not yet have the right to vote, please encourage your family members and neighbors to participate in the election."
Mayor Kang also stated, "With the seemingly impossible dream of achieving a 92.5% voter turnout in Gwangju, the city government, the office of education, and the five autonomous districts are working hard. As human beings, we walk the path of the impossible, even when its difficulty is obvious. The bigger the dream, the larger the pieces that may break, but it is worth striving for," reaffirming his commitment to this goal.
Meanwhile, ahead of the 21st presidential election scheduled for June 3, Gwangju City is implementing six major measures to expand voter participation and make voting more accessible and convenient for citizens. These include: expanding absentee voting stations for citizens with mobility difficulties; encouraging voting among young people; ensuring practical voting rights for workers; providing lifestyle-oriented benefits to voters; running the 'Pause for a Moment, First-Ever Vote' support campaign; and improving accessibility to polling stations.
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