Political Novice Yoon Hee-sook Without Influence... Why She Presents Pledges Despite Receiving Criticism

Putting Various Reform Agendas at the Forefront for the 'Battle of Ideas'
"The Election Should Be a Fight for Mutual Success"
"I Want High-Level Policy Competition with Rival Candidates"

Yoon Hee-sook, Member of the People Power Party. / Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-i] Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party and a presidential candidate, is a very rare presence in the current opposition presidential race. Although the freshness of a first-year lawmaker in a field crowded with political newcomers might be lacking, she is the only female candidate and boldly voices her opinions by putting policy-based campaigning front and center. However, what makes her unique is not her credentials. She is fighting a different battle besides competing with other candidates in this election.

On the 9th, we conducted an interview with Representative Yoon at the National Assembly Members' Office Building. The next day, our paper introduced her government reform plans and real estate policies. Here, we share some content that could not be included due to space constraints at the time.

During our conversation, I repeatedly wondered whether Yoon truly hopes to win this presidential election. She dislikes putting on a show or owing favors to anyone. Even though elections are about rallying support through emotional appeals and promises, she prefers not to engage in such theatrics.

Instead, she spoke of a "battle of ideas."

In fact, Yoon has promised various reforms through her pledges in this election. Rather than promising "what will be done," she talks about painful reforms?labor reform, pension reform, public sector reform, education reform, and so on. Instead of painting a rosy future, she nags that if you don’t exercise, you’ll get sick and need to diet. Each time she presents a pledge, opposition forces (anti-supporters) increase. Nevertheless, she continues to try to set the agenda.

Yoon Hee-sook, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

"After releasing my pledges, I see comments insulting me, asking what kind of pledges these are. Some say they will give several tens of millions of won, but mine are not like that."

"(Still) I want to inform the public about what the presidential election should look like. We tend to think politics is about empty promises or negative campaigning. But I believe that era is over. We are a well-off country with a highly educated population. That kind of politics should have ended long ago. We need an election with high-level pledges and clear visions for the future, where candidates fiercely compete without negativity, and the public can see elections as a 'festival of ideas.' It should be a fight where everyone wants the best for each other. That is high-level politics."

"In the last election, President Moon Jae-in promised pension reform. Experts prepared plans, but they were rejected because they didn’t meet the public’s expectations. The pension system was on the verge of collapse, but when the public rejected premium increases, reform was stalled. That means no reform. It is the leader’s job to persuade the public repeatedly and honestly so reform can happen. The fiscal situation worsened over four years. Premiums should have been raised before the baby boom generation retired, but the pension depletion date only came sooner. If you are deceived by leaders who avoid discussing necessary fixes, greater suffering awaits. We must elect leaders who speak honestly and repeatedly. We can drive out those who only pander to their supporters with nonsense."

Because of this, she was critical of unprepared competitors.

"(Competitors) are focused on organizing, which worries me. I publicly criticized them, saying they are not ready with pledges or philosophy but are busy lining up lawmakers. The reason I criticize is that once the primary starts, I want to fight well, but to do that, you must be prepared. You have to fight on substance. Without that, all you have is negativity, and it becomes ugly."

Perhaps to set the agenda. But that is not all. She wants a more fundamental fight. As an economist turned lawmaker, she has reflected deeply on politics, or more precisely, democracy. She traced how absurd policies came about and found that politics was the root cause.

"It’s useless to lecture politicians because they have reasons for not following honest, data-driven policy solutions. They do so to get re-elected. In a political landscape divided between two supporter groups, politicians think they only need to appeal to their base, so nothing changes. We are the only ones who can break this vicious cycle. The public thinks politics is just like this, but we must show them better."

"We can’t live like this. If we keep trying, others will look backward by comparison. As more people empathize, it will become easier to talk about."

She judged that the public’s perception of politics has already changed.

Yoon Hee-sook, Member of the People Power Party. / Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

"I sense and hope that the era has changed because more people now value what vision a leader has in their mind rather than who stands beside them when evaluating leaders."

The reporter mentioned volleyball player Kim Yeon-koung and said, "It seems we are moving toward an era where people appreciate great performances rather than just gold, silver, or bronze medals." This was a subtle way of saying that even if a candidate does not win the election, such a campaign could still inspire the public. She snapped back.

"I want to win the gold medal."

After fighting the battle of ideas and changing public perception, she truly wants to win the election.

At the end of the interview, she shared why she respects German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"She thinks very much based on evidence. Instead of putting on a show, she listens well, draws out people’s opinions, and coordinates effectively. She doesn’t say, 'I am a charismatic person.' Merkel said, 'I want not political power but the success of Germany,' which is exactly what I want to say. I am lazy, not greedy, and I don’t want to go to the Blue House, but at least I want our country to get past this stage. We are stuck in the past, but we must overcome that to progress. I feel I can play that role well."

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