Youths select 31 lawmakers for polite language

Min Byoung-chul, second from right in the second row, chairman of Sunfull Movement, poses with lawmakers who won awards for using polite language, as well as student members of the organization, at the National Assembly, southern Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Sunfull Movement

By Choi Ha-young

Student members of Sunfull Movement, a non-profit organization promoting positive language culture, selected 31 lawmakers for using polite language in National Assembly meetings, Monday.

At the award ceremony, four lawmakers received grand prizes: Cho Kyung-tae from Saenuri Party, Pyo Chang-won from Democratic Party of Korea, Yoo Sung-yup from People’s Party and Chung Sye-kyun, the speaker of the National Assembly.

The 134 students monitored Assembly meeting minutes from the beginning of the 20th Assembly at the end of May to October, and picked the 31 lawmakers.

They reviewed each lawmaker’s speech, adding points for courteous words and subtracting points for coarse words. Lawmakers who often expressed compliments, encouragement and gratitude got high scores, according to Min Byoung-chul, chairman of the Sunfull Movement.

“We hope politicians discuss policy and vision, not exchange crude words,” Min told The Korea Times. “If politicians step ahead to speak in polite language, it would encourage the youth to build an upstanding personality.”

Min, a former Konkuk University professor and renowned English education expert, launched the Sunfull Movement in 2007. He coined the term Sunfull, which means “good reply.” Through an online campaign to write positive comments, Min aims to counter cyberbullying and prevent school violence.