From In-guk-gong and Cho-guk Scandals to Pyeongchang Olympics... 'Fairness' Becomes a Key Issue for Youth

Voters in Their 20s More Sensitive to 'Fairness Issues' Compared to Other Age Groups
Controversies Including Alleged Forgery of Cho Kuk's Daughter's Certificate Before Incheon Airport Corporation and Pyeongchang Olympics Reverse Discrimination
Experts Say "The Core Issue Is a Society Rife with Non-Regular Workers"

Members of the Incheon International Airport Corporation Labor Union held placards while announcing their stance on the regularization of non-regular security screening personnel at a press conference near the Blue House on the afternoon of the 25th of last month. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Juhyung Lim] As the controversy over the direct employment of security screening personnel at Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) intensifies, especially among young people, the issue of "fairness," a key topic for voters in their 20s, is once again drawing attention.

Analyses suggest that young voters have generally been more favorable toward the Moon Jae-in administration and the ruling party compared to other age groups, but have reacted sensitively to issues related to "fairness."

Experts recommend that to fundamentally resolve conflicts arising from fairness issues, it is necessary to address the polarized labor market structure and the difficulties in job seeking.

Earlier, on the 22nd of last month, the corporation announced its plan to directly employ 1,902 security screening personnel by changing their status from special security guards to sworn police officers, which sparked the so-called IIAC incident. The anger among young people intensified particularly after photos of a KakaoTalk group chat, presumed to be between non-regular employees, spread across internet communities.

One participant in the chatroom wrote, "I joined as a security officer through Alba Cheonguk at age 22 and am now being converted to a regular employee," and added, "What’s the use of graduating from a prestigious university? While you waste over five years, I earn money as a regular employee." Some netizens also claimed things like "annual salary of 50 million won" and "lottery-like hiring."

President Moon Jae-in is speaking about creating good jobs at the event "Visiting President, Opening the Era of Zero Non-Regular Workers in the Public Sector!" held at Incheon International Airport Corporation on May 12, 2017. / Photo by Yonhap News

As the controversy spread, the Blue House stepped in to manage the situation. On the 24th of last month, Hwang Deok-soon, the Blue House’s Chief of Job Policy, appeared on JTBC News and explained, "Fairness between regular and non-regular employees is as important as fairness in hiring among job seekers," adding, "This decision was made in 2017 through consultations with stakeholders and experts."

However, the controversy did not subside easily. On social networking services (SNS) and job seeker internet cafes, a "Broken Pen Movement" was launched to publicize the issue.

There is also analysis that the meaning of "fairness" accepted by the political sphere and young voters differs. The current government has clashed multiple times with young people over fairness issues.

A representative case is the so-called "Cho Kuk incident" that erupted in September last year. At that time, protests against Cho Kuk, the former Minister of Justice, were held nationwide after it was revealed that his daughter was listed as the first author of a medical paper during high school and that there were suspicions of forgery of a certificate from Dongyang University.

Conflicts also arose during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. When the unified North-South Korean women’s ice hockey team was formed, some Korean national team players lost their chance to participate in the Olympics, sparking controversy among young people about whether this was reverse discrimination against Korean athletes.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk is answering questions from the press as he arrives at the confirmation hearing preparation office set up in Jeokseon Hyundai Building, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of September 4 last year. / Photo by Yonhap News

Support for President Moon Jae-in’s administration among young people dropped whenever fairness issues became controversial. In a Gallup Korea poll conducted from the 23rd to the 25th of last month, when the IIAC incident began, the approval rating among voters in their 20s was 41%, down 12 percentage points from the previous week. Although there was a slight rebound in subsequent surveys, it did not offset the decline.

During the Cho Kuk incident, Gallup Korea data showed that support among those in their 20s plummeted by 30 percentage points from 68% to 38% within a month, and during the North-South unified team issue, it fell by 8 percentage points over two weeks.

Some critics argue that the government misunderstands the fairness demands of young people.

On the 28th of last month, Lee Won-wook, a three-term senior member of the Democratic Party, wrote on his Facebook, "For young people who face nothing but uncertainty, what they hope for most is fairness and equity," and criticized, "Responding to young people’s protests by saying 'regularization does not take away youth jobs' or 'it’s fake news' misses the essence."

He added, "What young people are demanding is a matter of fairness beyond their own job issues," emphasizing, "It is a fundamental question of whether the government’s labor policies are on the right track."

Experts advise that the underlying issues of youth job scarcity and labor market polarization behind fairness conflicts must be addressed.

The youth labor union group "Youth Union" stated in a press release on the 24th of last month, "Non-regular workers have been exposed to job insecurity and poor working conditions," and pointed out, "The instability endured by non-regular workers cannot be called a 'lottery.'"

They continued, "The core problem in the current situation is a society where non-regular employment is widespread," and stressed, "We need to consider why young people react so sensitively to jobs and devise fundamental solutions to resolve the dual structure of the labor market and severe job scarcity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.