The Youth Secretary Scandal Resembling the 'In-guk-gong Controversy'... Why Young People Are Angry About 'Procedural Fairness'

Growing Calls for Dismissal of Kim Sung-min, 청년비서관 at the Blue House
Similar to Previous 'Incheon Airport' Non-Regular Worker Conversion Controversy
Cracks Between Youth Demanding 'Procedural Fairness' and Government
Experts: "Fairness Is a Matter of Survival for Youth"
"Political Sphere Must Show Efforts to Address Youth's Real Issues"

Sungmin Park, Youth Secretary at the Blue House / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "How can someone who has never even tried job hunting become the Youth Secretary?"

There is growing backlash among people in their 20s over the appointment of Park Seongmin as the new Youth Secretary at the Blue House. Critics argue that it is unfair for Park, who lacks any significant job hunting experience or notable 'specs,' to be appointed to the Blue House Secretary position, which is effectively a first-grade public official. Some voices accuse the government and ruling party of misunderstanding the concept of 'fairness' demanded by the youth.

This is not the first time a rift over fairness has emerged between the political sphere and the youth. During the so-called 'InGukGong incident,' young voters opposed the regularization of security screening personnel and demanded a fair hiring process. Experts advise that for politicians to gain the sympathy of young voters, they must concretely understand the various challenges faced by today's youth generation.

The personal website 'BaktalGam.com' was launched on the 26th. A Korea University student, Mr. A, who created the site, criticized the government and ruling party, saying, "Young people are feeling a great sense of deprivation right now (because of Park's appointment)," and added, "Stop using the word fairness; it's very disgusting."

Mr. A's anger over Park's appointment stems from concerns about the fairness of the personnel process. He explained, "Park has no job experience other than political party activities. Usually, students from prestigious universities study for more than three years to pass the Grade 5 administrative exam, which becomes a family pride upon passing, but Park became a first-grade public official just by engaging in party activities."

Some content from the website 'Baktalgam.com' created by Korea University student A / Photo by Baktalgam.com

He continued, "Why prepare for employment? Even without graduating from university or having job experience, if I go to Yeouido and say I will represent the youth, wouldn't I get better results?" he vented his frustration.

Earlier, Park was appointed as the Blue House Youth Secretary on the 21st. Blue House spokesperson Park Kyungmi explained the appointment at a Chunchoo-gwan briefing, saying, "We expect him to be a Youth Secretary who creates and coordinates policies for youth from the youth's perspective."

However, some young people strongly opposed this personnel decision. On the anonymous bulletin board 'Bamboo Forest Next to Yeouido,' used by National Assembly workers, criticisms poured in such as "National personnel appointments are becoming populist" and "What exactly did he do to become a Blue House Secretary?" A petition demanding Park's dismissal was also posted on the Blue House's public petition board.

The Blue House expressed embarrassment over the youth backlash. On the 25th, Cheolhee Lee, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jongbae's Focus' and lamented, "I don't understand why this is framed as a fairness or unfairness issue."

He added, "If we don't appoint a young person as Youth Secretary, then who will? The Youth Secretary is a special appointment and does not take someone else's position," he explained.

Some argue that the political sphere misunderstands the 'fairness' demanded by the youth. While young people are sensitive to 'procedural fairness' in competitive processes, the government and ruling party appear relatively indifferent to this.

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

This is not the first time the government and youth have shown a rift over fairness. During last year's 'InGukGong incident,' young people also protested demanding fairness.

At that time, the government announced a plan to directly employ 1,902 security screening personnel who had been hired as non-regular workers at Incheon International Airport Corporation. This decision was to fulfill the Moon Jae-in administration's pledge to regularize non-regular workers, but some job seekers criticized it, saying, "How can non-regular workers be converted to regular workers without a proper open recruitment?" The issue was publicized through internet communities and social media, leading to the 'Broken Pen Movement.'

During the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, fairness controversies also arose. When the women's ice hockey North-South unified team was formed, some Korean national team players lost their Olympic participation opportunities, sparking debates among some youth about whether this was reverse discrimination against Korean athletes.

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 June 25 last year. / Photo by Yonhap News

Youth expressed feelings of deprivation, believing Park's appointment was a 'political decision' rather than based on specs or effort.

B, a 26-year-old university student preparing for employment, said, "Even for a Grade 9 public official, you have to study and take exams for years to barely pass, so if a peer is suddenly appointed to a high position like Youth Secretary, it's natural to feel deprived," and added, "It inevitably looks like he just got lucky and succeeded."

Another job seeker, C (25), said, "I'm already stressed by unfair hiring and controversies over pre-selected candidates in the job market, and now I see similar cases in politics," and claimed, "It's natural to feel furious."

Experts suggest that politicians need to grasp the 'essence' of youth issues.

Political commentator Jonghoon Lee said, "There is bound to be a difference between how politicians view fairness and how youth perceive it," explaining, "They perceive it differently. For youth, fairness is a survival issue connected to employment and education, but for politicians, it's just one of many issues."

He added, "Governments and political parties should not stop at symbolic gestures like creating the Youth Secretary position but should closely approach, discuss, and show a willingness to solve the various real problems young people face today to gain the sympathy of the youth generation."

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