'90s-born' Kim Yong-tae: "Conservative Parties Must March Outside the Leadership"

Interview with People Power Party Youth Supreme Council Candidate - Kim Yong-tae, Gwangmyeong District Committee Chairman

On the 25th, the People Power Party's first party convention was held at Nurikkum Square in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Kim Yong-tae, the Gwangmyeong district committee chairman, who ran for the youth supreme committee member, is presenting his vision.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] "I believe conservative parties should march outside the established leadership."

Kim Yong-tae, the Gwangmyeong district party committee chairman who ran for the Youth Supreme Council Member position in the People Power Party's June 11 party convention, is the only candidate born in the 1990s. Although the youngest in age, he has relatively extensive political experience. In 2018, he ran in local elections, and last year, embodying the spirit of 'serving the party before oneself,' he contested the 21st general election in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 30th, Kim stated, "We need to take the lead in addressing values that conservative parties have not prioritized but rightfully should uphold as key agendas."

As a child, he read 'Profiles in Courage' by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, which inspired him to find the courage to protect the community. This led Kim to develop an interest in politics. While studying environmental and energy policies, he began to focus on issues such as water security, energy security, food security, and climate change. He emphasized, "These issues are crucial for the survival of the future 2030 generation, but because they currently attract little public attention and do not translate into votes, established politicians have not seriously discussed them. Nevertheless, I believed someone had to courageously speak about these topics, which led me to make this decision."

Recently, he has been researching the value of labor in connection with the 'lives of youth.' In particular, he is focusing on the increasing number of young people engaged in platform labor such as delivery services. Having personally experienced delivery work, he confirmed what 2030 youth feel. Kim explained, "Many friends earn about 4,000 won per delivery while heading home after work, and through conversations, I realized that legal regulations for platform workers are inadequate. I want to bring this issue to public attention and raise our voices."

Kim Yong-tae, head of the Gwangmyeong district committee of the People Power Party, is declaring his candidacy for the youth supreme council member on the 20th at the People Power Party central office in Yeouido, Seoul. (Photo by Kim Yong-tae, district committee head)

Kim is adept at expressing his opinions through social networking services (SNS). He organizes his thoughts on various issues into written posts and shares them with society. He said, "I started because there are few young people voicing opinions outside of elected office. Politics requires messages to gain attention, so there are topics I want to highlight and critique."

Through these various activities, Kim aims to contribute to the victory in next year's presidential election. This means playing a role in continuing the trust gained from the 2030 generation in the April 7 by-elections for the People Power Party. Kim stated, "The People Power Party is currently at a crossroads between becoming the ruling party through next year's regime change or continuing as a defeatist party as in recent years. We saw how significant the support of the 2030 generation was for regime change in the April 7 by-elections. As a Youth Supreme Council Member positioned in the middle of the 2030 generation, I will empathize with them and help sustain their support."

He plans to create channels for continuous communication with young people. After seeing the youth who voiced their opinions from Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's campaign vehicle during the April 7 by-elections, he decided to regularly hold such 'forums for airing grievances.' Kim said, "We will welcome any young people who want to raise their voices to the National Assembly and the party. We will not stay confined to Yeouido; we will actively visit them to understand their realities and consider how the political sphere can empower them."

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