Kim Eun-hye: "Lee Jun-seok's 'Quota Abolition Theory' Is Trump-Style Division"

Rep. Kim Eun-hye (left) and former Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok (right), candidates in the People Power Party leadership race, are showing sharp disagreements over the 'quota system' for socially disadvantaged groups such as women and youth.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party running for party leader, and former Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok are showing sharp opposing views on the 'quota system' for socially disadvantaged groups such as women and youth. Following a fierce debate over the abolition of the quota system during the party leader candidates' free discussion held on the 22nd, on the 23rd, Kim criticized Lee again on her Facebook, targeting him for advocating the 'abolition of the youth quota system,' saying he is "dividing people using Trump-style rhetoric."

On the same day, Kim said, "The abolition argument itself makes no sense as the youth quota system has never been properly implemented." She added, "The method applied so far in nominations has been additional points for youth, women, and newcomers, not a quota system," and asked, "Why oppose something that has never been implemented?"

Kim further expressed her belief that Lee does not oppose the youth quota system itself but pointed out, "Candidate Lee Jun-seok argues that regular 'past exams' like debate battles should be held to recruit talent through fair competition," and said, "If so, the way the issue is raised is wrong."

In the earlier debate, Lee Jun-seok stated, "If our party wants to regularly gather capable people, selection must be done fairly on a regular basis," and added, "We should ensure fair competition through debates, speeches, and policy contests."

On the 23rd, Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, posted on her Facebook criticizing former Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok, who advocates for the abolition of the quota system, saying, "The youth quota system has never been properly implemented, so the abolition argument itself makes no sense." [Photo by Facebook]

Kim criticized that the 'Trump-style rhetoric' of abolishing all quota systems by dividing people only amplifies unnecessary controversy, and that the problem should be with the 'opaque recruitment and replenishment methods' carried out under the pretext of youth quotas.

She also pointed out, "Candidate Lee Jun-seok cites debate battles as an alternative to the youth quota system, but debate skills cannot replace the purpose of the youth quota system." She argued, "If the youth quota system is not implemented, that position will become an extension of the vested interests of the established 586 generation politics," and claimed, "It is more reasonable to operate the youth quota system to lower the political entry barriers for young people while managing the selection method through fair competition."

Meanwhile, according to a poll on the next People Power Party leader preference released by Hangil Research on the same day, former Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok showed support in the 30% range. The survey, conducted at the request of Cookie News, has a sampling error of ±3.1%p at a 95% confidence level.

The survey results showed Lee Jun-seok's support rate at 30.1%, the highest among candidates, leading by 12.7%p over former lawmaker Na Kyung-won, who ranked second with 17.4%. Following were lawmaker Joo Ho-young with 9.3%, lawmaker Kim Woong with 5.0%, lawmaker Kim Eun-hye with 4.9%, lawmaker Hong Moon-pyo with 3.7%, and lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae with 2.8%. 'Others/Don't know/No response' accounted for 23.6%.

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