[Summary] "Movie Actor," "President," "Commentator"... Ruling Party Presidential Candidates Reveal Their Teenage Dreams

Former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae "Inspired by a movie, dreamed of becoming an actor"
Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung "'I wanted to become President'"
Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun "Hoped to be a politician after seeing election posters"
Former Democratic Party Leader Lee Nak-yeon "Got my dream thanks to my mentor"

Candidates for the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential primary held a photo session before the first TV debate. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The presidential candidates of the Democratic Party of Korea took a moment to look back on their childhood and reveal their aspirations during their school days. Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae confessed that she once wanted to become an actress, while Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, said he dreamed of becoming president from an early age.

On the 4th, during the second TV debate for the Democratic Party presidential primary broadcast on YTN, the candidates reminisced about their childhood through their school records.

The first to speak, former Minister Choo, when asked about her aspirations as a teenager, listed journalist, judge, lawyer, and movie actress. She explained, "It’s been quite a while since I gave up on (the dream of being an actress), but after getting to know myself, I realized I’m not good at acting. I was deeply impressed by the movie Gone with the Wind and had a dream of becoming a movie actress," she said.

Governor Lee confessed that he did not have a school record because he couldn’t attend school and worked in a factory from a young age. He said, "It was difficult, but I had a dream back then," and wrote "president" in the childhood aspirations section.

When asked about his ideal type, Lee named his current wife, Kim Hye-kyung. He said, "We got married six months after we met. The best thing I’ve done in life is meeting my wife." When asked about his strengths and weaknesses, he answered, "Being lively and responsible are my strengths, but having a tendency to rush into things is my weakness."

Candidates talking with the moderator ahead of the debate / Photo by Yonhap News

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun revealed that he dreamed of becoming a politician after seeing election posters during his childhood.

In the special notes section, he wrote "Never leaves food behind." He explained, "I really have to finish all my food to feel satisfied. That’s how a polite person should be," which drew laughter from the audience.

Meanwhile, former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon shared a story about a former teacher who inspired his dreams. He mentioned his teacher Park Tae-jun from when he was a sixth grader, saying, "He planted the dream of 'advancing to a big city' in a country bumpkin attending a rural branch school without chairs or desks."

He added, "After becoming a member of the National Assembly, I appointed the teacher as the head of my support group. It’s not because he raised a lot of funds, but because he is the starting point of my life."

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Yong-jin said in the debate that his weakness is "forgetting things that upset me or are disadvantageous to me," adding, "That makes people around me tired. Even though my father was a police officer, I almost couldn’t graduate because I participated in school protests related to the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union."

Fellow party member Kim Doo-kwan chose "sports commentator" as his childhood aspiration. He recalled, "During the winter vacation of my second year in high school, I set foot on the mainland for the first time and appeared on a scholarship quiz show, where I placed second. When the anchor asked about my future dream, I answered sports commentator. Among them, I wanted to be a volleyball commentator," he reminisced.

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