[Opinion] The Importance of Everyday Life and Law

It is a vibrant May when the mountains and fields turn green. The sight of children playing on a warm spring day is always heartwarming. Seeing children wearing masks and walking apart instead of gathering in bright groups reminds us how precious the everyday life lost to COVID-19 truly was.

Children are also experiencing the changes in daily life caused by COVID-19. In an online discussion forum for children organized by the Ministry of Government Legislation last year, children shared their opinions on school life rules after returning to in-person classes. They demonstrated a proper understanding of daily quarantine rules such as washing hands during breaks, disinfecting their own seats, and using personal items instead of shared ones. They also expressed warm consideration, saying that if a friend contracted COVID-19, they would not blame but comfort them. Reading each of these children’s opinions gives hope that despite the lost normalcy, our future remains bright. It also makes us realize how important it is for children and adolescents to take an interest in and understand social rules.

The Ministry of Government Legislation operates the Children Legislative Officer program for 4th to 6th graders in elementary school and the Youth Legislative Officer program for middle school students to enhance their understanding of the law and to instill respect for the rule of law and the importance of lawful administration as democratic citizens. The goal is to provide children and youth with legislative experience activities to help them become familiar with the law.

About 1,300 children and youth legislative officers, selected in April after recruitment began in March, will start their activities in earnest this month. Through various legislative experience activities such as discussion forums, contests for making laws or school rules, and law quizzes like the Golden Bell, they will become familiar with the law and gain a better understanding of the legislative process and the value of laws as its outcome.

Just as we belatedly realized how precious it was to see each other’s faces and talk without masks during COVID-19, we must never wait until legal order is damaged or broken to appreciate the importance of the freedom and justice that the law protects. To that end, we must ensure that our children, the future owners of society, correctly understand the value of law necessary for maintaining the community.

Accordingly, this year the Ministry of Government Legislation plans to expand non-face-to-face legislative experience activities such as video conferences in response to the COVID-19 situation, so that children and youth can become familiar with and better understand the law. For the Children Legislative Officer program, educational content will be revamped to significantly reflect law-related content currently found in elementary school textbooks, aiming to operate a program that is necessary, easy, and fun for children and youth in this period.

The French Renaissance philosopher Montaigne said, "The education of children is most important to awaken the desire and interest in learning. Otherwise, it is like raising a donkey carrying books on its back." By developing and providing content that reflects the curiosity and interests of children and youth, the Ministry of Government Legislation seeks to help them recognize that the law is not rigid and difficult but rather necessary and interesting in everyday life the more they learn about it.

A student who participated as a Children Legislative Officer last year said, "I started asking questions about the law and became interested," adding, "Although the law seems difficult, I realized it is essential to protect our safety and order and to resolve disputes." We hope that children and youth who have grown closer to the law through the Children and Youth Legislative Officer activities will continue to deepen their interest and grow into mature citizens who properly understand the law and uphold our legal order.

Kangseop Lee, Minister of Government Legislation

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