Yang Yi-won Young "People Voting Now Are Those Who Won't Even Be Alive in the Future"

Kim Eun-kyung, Chair of the Innovation Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, made a remark at a roundtable discussion saying, "Why should those with a shorter future vote one-on-one?" which sparked controversy over alleged 'elderly disparagement.' In response, Yang Yi-won-young, a Democratic Party lawmaker, defended Kim's statement by saying, "Many of those voting now will not even be alive in that future."

On the 1st, Yang Yi-won-young introduced the full statement made by Chair Kim on her social media (SNS), saying, "Young people and children who will live longer in the future should be able to decide their future."

Candidate Yang I-won-young, who ran for the party's Supreme Council member, is delivering her policy speech at the preliminary primary election for the selection of the Democratic Party's party leader and Supreme Council members held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 28th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The full statement by Chair Kim, as introduced by Yang, is as follows.

"My second child just turned 22 years old, and when they were in either the first or second year of middle school, they asked me this question: Why do older people decide our future? They said that, considering the average life expectancy, voting should be proportional from their age to the average life expectancy. (From a middle schooler's perspective) that sounds reasonable. But in a democratic country, it's one person, one vote. My child said, since our future is much longer, why do those with a shorter future have the same voting power? (So I told my child) that in a democratic country, there is one person, one vote, so that cannot be changed. I remember concluding that young people need to come out to the polling stations to express their opinions."

Yang Yi-won-young said, "That is a correct statement," and added, "Our children have no say in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which is deciding important policies that will affect life in 2050. I may not even be alive then, but I will do my best to prevent such a dystopian Korea for the sake of my child's future."

She also said, "It is not because I hate the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, but because they are ruining the future for all of us that I fight," and described it as "a struggle against a political group that thoroughly sells out public interest and the future for private gain."

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