By Kang Hyun-kyung
The presidential office recently hired a young business consultant to resolve a rift between those in their 20, 30s, and 40s, and the older generation.
The first group is called the “2040 generation” and are considered as opponents of old politics.
Choi Se-jin, a former senior consultant overseeing social learning programs at Korea Management Association based in Seoul, was called in to assume the job Wednesday.
“I think the Lee Myung-bak government has not been so popular among the younger generation because they believe they are not part of policy initiatives,” Choi said in an interview with The Korea Times.
The 30-year-old beat 232 competitors in the rounds of interviews to be selected as the leader of the team assigned to help ease the generational gap with effective policy measures.
The ruling camp has been desperate to win the hearts of young voters ahead of the crucial parliamentary elections in April and the presidential polls in December.
According to Choi, grassroots citizens, especially the younger generation, are eager to share their thoughts with others and make their voices heard in policy initiatives through interactive programs like concert-type gatherings, in particular.
Writers, politicians and intellectuals, who want to meet their fans, readers or supporters in person, hold a concert-like event through which they can interact personally with hundreds or thousands of people. Bands or singers are sometimes invited to create a fun atmosphere.
Organizers can build intimacy with their fans through such gatherings.
Ahn Cheol-soo, founder of the anti-virus software company AhnLab, is a well-known beneficiary of such events as his popularity jumped after holding several rounds of “Youth Concerts” across the nation.
Choi deplored there has scarcely been such instruments for interaction between the younger generation and policymakers, further fanning the generational gap.
He said he was willing to hold a policy concert to listen to the 2040 generations’ opinions.
The generational rift among the younger generation has remained a headache for the ruling camp since the Seoul mayoral election last October when younger voters en mass turned up to vote against the ruling Grand National Party (GNP).
Election watchers say the 2040 generation’s sweeping votes for civic group activist Park Won-soon was the key to his win in the race.
A vast majority of those in their 60s or older (nearly 70 percent) supported Na Kyung-won, who ran in the election on the GNP ticket.
The defeat sparked major soul-searching among GNP campaign strategists to find ways to embrace the 2040 generation ahead of the parliamentary elections.
The generational rift has also posed a challenge for the presidential office as public support for major policy initiatives, such as the four-river refurbishment project, is vital to make them successful.
In December, Cheong Wa Dae posted a job opening to find a person who is equipped with a deeper understanding of these younger voters’ needs and has the capability to draw up policy measures to meet their demands.
Choi, who got the final job offer from the presidential office, cited citizen judges of a popular TV program as a good example of creating a win-win atmosphere for the broadcaster and its viewers.
“Few people question the score sheets submitted by the 500 audience-judges on the TV program I Am a Singer. This is because they feel that the judges are ordinary citizens like themselves and that they are part of the program,” Choi said.
In the popular show, seven singers compete and the audience assesses their performance by voting for the singer who they like most in every round.
The winner is chosen with all singers getting their scores, with one of them, the singer with the lowest score, being eliminated.
“Viewers trust the results and this is why the program is popular. But the 2040 generation has no such confidence when it comes to the four-river project because they believe they were not part of the initiative.”
Having said that, Choi noted policymakers need to find ways to make these younger generation’s voices heard in the policymaking process.
Political scientists pointed out job insecurity and growth without job creation as the usual suspect of the generational rift.
The government initiated massive labor reforms in the late 1990s in the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis. Massive job cuts followed in all sectors. In most workplaces, part-time contracts replaced full-time arrangements for budgetary reasons, causing job insecurity.
Those who graduated from college in the late 1990s were hit the hardest as they had tough times finding jobs.
And the negative fallout of the flexible labor market and growth without employment continued after the 1990s, making it difficult for young graduates to earn a decent income.
These victims are the 2040 generation.
Before the economic malaise, a life-time career was prevalent in the nation. Those in their 50s or older benefitted from job security.