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| Kim Chong-in, interim head of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks at a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sept. 3, to mark his 100th day since taking the post. / Yonhap |
By Park Han-sol
The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is striving to attract young people, mainly in their 20s and 30s, to shed its image of being "old boys" representing those with vested rights.
The PPP has been given an opportunity to attract young members as the younger generations are becoming increasingly disgruntled with the ruling bloc in the wake of a sluggish job market and several scandals involving ranking officials which they see as unfair.
The PPP currently has around 320,000 members who pay party membership dues and hold the right to vote in party affairs. The number is less than half of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) 800,000. The conservative PPP hopes to raise the figure to 1 million by next year especially by targeting the younger generation and centrists.
Kim Chong-in, head of the party's emergency committee, has emphasized the role of young party members since taking the post in late May. "The party must connect with the younger generation and foster young politicians through training programs," Kim said at a press conference in June.
As a way to appeal to such a population, the main opposition plans to launch a sub-group comprised of young members at the end of this year, which will be modeled on Germany's Young Union, a youth organization of the two conservative parties ― the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria.
Membership of this group will be limited to individuals below the age of 39. The organization will be given autonomy to some extent, with its own rights to draw up a budget and carry out projects.
"There exists a unique cultural consensus among young people, in which they have their own language and memes. The young group will seek to deliver a message that actually resonates with the younger generation and address the real-life problems felt by those in their 20s and 30s, which the ruling bloc has failed to accomplish," Kim Jae-sub, the PPP's emergency committee member in charge of the organization's launching preparation, told The Korea Times.
It will also establish its own independent think tank separate from the PPP's existing Yeouido Institute, as a stage for political training and education programs for the youth.
Kim Jae-sub highlighted the significance of online platforms to encourage the political participation of the younger generation in the contactless era. "Most people in their 20s to 40s are busy working in their own fields, which does not give them much time or space to take part in political activities. By taking advantage of the coronavirus era and a boom in contactless technology, our online platforms can be a window for the political voice of the young working population."
Some political watchers viewed the PPP's efforts as an expression of its willingness to reflect young people's voices within the party.
"For example, when looking at already established policies, young people may be able to see them with different eyes from those of older-generation members. In that way, young members can bring an original and fresh perspective to the party," Shin Yul, a political science and diplomacy professor at Myongji University, told The Korea Times.
It may be the right time for the PPP to attract young people, who used to be one of the major support bases for the liberal ruling bloc, as they have shown disappointment recently with the DPK and the Moon Jae-in administration over multiple issues which they believe damaged the idea of fairness.
Earlier this year, the government announced the Incheon International Airport Corp. would bring on subcontracted security workers as regular employees to realize the administration's pledge for "zero irregular workers." But this brought criticism from young people who claimed it deprives many jobseekers of opportunities.
The ruling bloc is also engulfed in growing allegations that Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae exercised influence to help her son get special treatment during his mandatory military service from 2016 to 2018. Apparently affected by the allegations, the job approval rating for Moon and the support rate for the DPK among people in their 20s, men and the student population have seen large declines in recent opinion polls.
