During Elections, Hotter Than Anyone... But 'Cheongnyeon Politics' Faces Hardship as Cold Rice

Lee and Park Push Their Convictions, Express Conflict
Risk of Internal Party Rejection
"We Ended Up Consuming Young Politicians"
Criticism Toward Established Political Circles

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party (left), and Park Ji-hyun, former emergency committee chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Ju-hee] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, and Park Ji-hyun, former emergency committee chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea. In the March presidential election and the June 1 local elections, the two, who led the elections representing the ruling and opposition parties respectively, have both faced crises side by side. Although both emerged amid public expectations fueled by a desire for generational change, they failed to break the firmly established walls of traditional politics. While there are criticisms that they revealed the limitations of youth politics, there are also criticisms that the established political circles are merely using youth as 'tools of politics.'

◆ Ruling and Opposition Parties Ignore Lee Jun-seok and Park Ji-hyun

Both Lee and Park rose to prominence fueled by the hope that youth could become the main force in politics. Lee, who took office last June as the first-ever leader in his 30s in the history of the constitution, led both the presidential and local elections to victories for the People Power Party. He is especially credited with breaking the old image of the conservative party and gaining support from men in their 20s and 30s.

Park, who was recruited to the Democratic Party’s election committee near the end of the presidential election, lost the election but played a catalytic role in winning the votes of women in their 20s and 30s for the Democratic Party. She was then abruptly appointed as the emergency committee chairperson ahead of the local elections. However, both have now become, quite literally, 'cold rice' within their parties.

At the 7th West Sea Defense Day ceremony held last March at the National Daejeon National Cemetery, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party (right), and Park Ji-hyun, then emergency committee chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, attended. Photo by Yonhap News

◆ Lee Jun-seok Expresses Conflict, Park Ji-hyun Pushes Her Convictions

The situation is partly the responsibility of both Lee and Park. Lee is currently suspended from his duties as party leader after receiving a six-month suspension of party membership rights from the party ethics committee on the 8th over allegations of instructing the destruction of evidence related to sexual bribery. Before the disciplinary action, he repeatedly clashed with the party leadership and the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) faction over various issues.

Lee exposed these conflicts openly on social media platforms. Notable examples include his 'a bowl of soy sauce' remark targeting lawmakers Jang Je-won and Ahn Cheol-soo, and his description of internal party checks against him as 'profit-taking, not cutting ties.' His style of making remarks targeting specific individuals rather than resolving conflicts has been criticized for escalating internal party strife. The severe internal discord eventually led to a decline in approval ratings for President Yoon Seok-yeol and the People Power Party, narrowing Lee’s position.

Park has also shown no hesitation in criticizing problems within the Democratic Party. She called for party reform by advocating for the 'retirement of the 586 generation (people in their 50s, who were university students in the 1980s, born in the 1960s),' 'breaking away from fandom politics,' and opposing Lee Jae-myung’s candidacy for party leader. Many in the political sphere analyze that Park’s 'principled stance' became the reason she was sidelined by the party mainstream.

Park, who announced her intention to run in the Democratic Party’s August leadership election, has been disqualified from candidacy because she does not meet the eligibility criteria of 'six months of party membership and payment of party dues at least six times.' Park has requested an exception recognizing her contributions, but the emergency committee has stated that it is not possible.

◆ Personal Risk or Being Discarded? ... Concerns Over Shrinking Youth Politics

Regarding the controversies surrounding Lee and Park, some criticize that established politicians only use young people during elections and then discard them like 'throwing away the hunting dog after the hunt.' They argue that while youth were called upon for change and reform, the political establishment has shown a double standard by not being prepared to accept their voices.

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon said on CBS Radio’s 'Hanpan Seungbu' on the 13th, "Young people were heavily used during the election. The role of the 2030 generation was very significant, but now they seem to be treated like cold rice." He questioned, "If they were used during the election, shouldn’t there be a system in place for these people to systematically grow and rise to leadership positions within the party?"

Jin added, "(Park) came from outside the political world, so she has things to say about politics. Because of that, she may not know some aspects well and may make immature judgments. I wonder how it would have been if they had taken that into account and embraced her more broadly."

There are also voices worried about the shrinking of youth politics. Democratic Party lawmaker Park Yong-jin said in an interview with KBS Radio’s 'Choi Kyung-young’s Strong Current Affairs,' "In reality, Korean politics, including the Democratic Party, has consumed young politicians like this," and added, "I am worried that a strange perception and result might spread, saying 'See, young people shouldn’t take the lead.' Despite the unfavorable situation, political systems that give youth opportunities, microphones, and decision-making authority must spread."

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