By Park Si-soo
An obscure 27-year-old political novice is emerging as a dark horse who could possibly defeat a seasoned politician in the April 11 parliamentary elections.
Sohn Soo-jo is looking to win the ruling Saenuri Party ticket, to run for the Sasang electoral district seat in Busan, the second largest city in South Korea. The constituency is where Moon Jae-in, a close aide to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun and viewed as one of the leading presidential contenders, will run on the main opposition Democratic United Party ticket.
The ruling party’s candidate selection is underway and it’s still uncertain whether Sohn will be chosen. By all accounts, she lags behind Moon in everything from political knowledge and experience to public awareness and support base.
However, many judges on Saenuri’s candidate selection committee appear favorable to her, with some of them reportedly saying she is “very impressive.” Some news outlets quoted unidentified party officials as saying she is a de facto “candidate-in-waiting.”
She first attracted media attention earlier this month as the youngest applicant for a Saenuri ticket. The attention, which many thought would quickly evaporate, snowballed with Saenuri interim leader Park Geun-hye’s pledge that the party will reserve some tickets for young, talented political newcomers.
Sohn, who depicts herself as a desperate job-hunter, stole media spotlight following her tough interview with inquisitive judges of the candidate selection committee Thursday.
“I was really impressed (by Sohn),” Chung Hong-won, the committee chairman, told reporters following the interview. “Her presentation and answers well embodied her strong attitude and will to make a society where ordinary people can achieve successful lives on their own.” Experts say it’s rare for the chairman to openly praise an applicant. Seo Byeong-moon, a committee judge, echoed the view, saying she has “great potential.”
She was born in Sasang in 1985 and grew up there, a motive for her to portray herself as “Sasang’s daughter” in her selection campaign.
She was elected as leader of the students’ association at her primary and secondary schools, according to her blog (blog.naver.com/sonsujo). She graduated from Ewha Womans University in Seoul and has had no professional employment, it said.
Like other women of her age, the applicant is comfortable with using social networking services, including Twitter and Facebook. She posts articles and photos daily of her activities, drawing scores of encouraging comments from viewers.
Her postings show how grueling her daily schedule is.
On Feb. 21 alone, according to her blog, she woke up at 6:30 a.m. and had a media interview on the phone while applying makeup. While visiting a traditional market in Sasang, she bowed to people and distributed business cards, calling for their support for her selection. She had lunch while traveling to Seoul on a KTX bullet train. In Seoul, she appeared on some TV programs and had dinner with a professor who she described as her policy advisor. She traveled back to Busan at 1 a.m. and slept at 4 a.m. after completing news articles on her.
“I feel like I’m dreaming now,” she said in a posting on Feb. 20. “When I applied, I was afraid to see my voice would be unheeded. But look! People are taking a close look at me, asking ‘Who are you?’ I’m really happy.”
She is running activities for selection with a limited budget of 30 million won ($26,600), the deposit for the home she rents in Seoul.
“Many ask me why I want to enter politics, which is spoiled with corruption and other illegalities,” she said. “Being a politician is my dream job that I have cherished for so long. I want to make Korea a better place to live."