Won Hee-ryong: "Fair Opportunities Should Be Given Through National Chance, Not Parent Chance or Inheritance Cliff"

Daejeon Runner Relay Interview ⑥ Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Province
Top University Entrance Graduate, Activist Student, Prosecutor, Reform Conservative Politician
A Representative 'Dragon from a Small Stream' from a Humble Background
Customized Lifelong Education from Daycare to Employment
Connecting Regulation, Support, and Tax Benefits to Jobs

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Geum Bo-ryeong] "I had no parent chance, and I came this far solely by the national chance. I have a sense of mission to give back the achievements, opportunities, and support I received in the Republic of Korea."

Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Province. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Won Hee-ryong, governor of Jeju Province and presidential candidate of the People Power Party (photo), views the nation as an entity that gives individuals a ‘chance (opportunity).’ The pathways for providing opportunities are education, jobs, and housing. In a recent interview with Asia Economy at the Jeju Province Seoul Office, Won emphasized this ‘national chance’ as an alternative concept to ‘parent chance’ and the ‘inheritance cliff.’ He said, "We are preparing a country where every child, youth, and citizen born as a Korean national is not confronted with the inheritance cliff due to parent chance but is fairly given the opportunity to challenge through national chance."

Won’s political perspective seems fundamentally derived from his own experiences and success. He said, "Simply because I was born on this land, the challenges in my life today were possible, and I am who I am today," adding, "I had no parent chance and came this far solely by the national chance." Won is a representative case of a ‘dragon born from a small stream.’ Although he was the child of an uneducated farmer, literally a ‘dirt spoon,’ he earned honors such as ranking first nationwide in the college entrance exam and passing the bar exam at the top.

So how can the national chance he talks about be concretely realized? Regarding education, he said, "From the daycare stage to basic academic skills in elementary, middle, and high school, and lifelong education leading to employment, a system reform is needed so that personalized education can be received and individual capabilities are managed and supported by the state." He also pledged, "I will connect all regulations, government support, and tax benefits to jobs." On housing issues, he said, "During the past four years of this government, both supply and loans were blocked, but the government should prepare various ladders for residential mobility and support people who desire ‘their own home’ as much as possible."

Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Province. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Being from Jeju, he emphasized that his seven years of experience as Jeju governor will be a valuable asset for the next government’s operation. Won said, "The experiences of implementing carbon neutrality, nurturing digital talents, and establishing a transparent administrative system in Jeju will become innovative programs to realize Korea’s future." He also mentioned cases such as selecting a former president of the Jeju Social Workers Association as the Minister of Health and Welfare and recruiting an AI expert as the head of the Future Strategy Bureau, emphasizing, "The bold appointment of private experts to break bureaucratic inertia is an experiment worth applying at the national level."

Having passed through diverse life stages?from a student activist to a prosecutor and a moderate politician in a conservative party?he said, "Politics that shares power is the kind of politics required going forward." He added, "Without breaking the practices of denial and hatred of differences, division, and factionalism, it will be difficult to resolve polarization and create new growth engines," and said, "Efforts to internalize true democracy through power decentralization are required." Won stressed, "It is hypocritical and self-destructive that those who seized power through democratization are the most oppressive and divisive," and added, "The conservative party was the same in this regard, but now it must show a firm belief in democracy."

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