[The Editors' Verdict] Is 'Remaining Life Proportional Voting' an Insult to the Elderly?

Kim Eun-kyung, Innovation Committee Chair, Controversy Over Elderly Derogatory Remarks
"No intention to belittle the elderly," she explained
But the phrase 'people with short futures' deemed inappropriate

Kim Eun-kyung, the Innovation Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, has once again been embroiled in controversy. This time, it is about remarks perceived as belittling the elderly. During a 2030 youth roundtable, Kim mentioned 'remaining life proportional voting,' which led the ruling party to launch fierce attacks, calling it a "modern-day Goryeojang" and "elderly disparagement DNA." Even within the Democratic Party, some criticized it as "insensible." However, the party's Innovation Committee dismissed the criticism, stating it was "a call for political participation by the younger generation" and "not something to apologize for." Kim herself said, "People are cutting out the beginning and end of my remarks and connecting the context oddly to make it seem like I was disparaging the elderly, but that was never my intention."

Let’s go back to the cafe Erolparo in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on the 30th when the remarks were made. Kim introduced a conversation she had with her 22-year-old son at a gathering attended by 25 voters from the 2030 generation. The context of her remarks was as follows.

"(My son) asked me this question when he was in the first or second year of middle school: Why do older people decide our future? He thought that voting should be proportional from one's age to remaining life expectancy, from my age to remaining life expectancy. It’s quite rational, right? In a democratic country, one person one vote is the reality, so there are difficulties, but it’s a valid point. Why do people with shorter futures have one-to-one voting rights? It’s rational, but because of the one person one vote system in democracy, it can’t be done. I told him that young people need to come out to vote so that their opinions are represented."

The 'remaining life proportional voting rights' introduced by Kim through her son's anecdote is an idea already proposed in academia. In March last year, Professor Ha Sang-eung of Sogang University’s Department of Political Science and International Relations presented a report at a forum proposing a 'voting quota system' where every voter receives credits (votes) they can use throughout their lifetime starting at age 18. This was to address the problem of overrepresentation of middle-aged and older politicians?over 95% of the 21st National Assembly members are aged 50 or older?resulting in the youth’s perspectives not being properly reflected in policy decisions.

Pointing out the overrepresentation in the legislative body and seeking solutions is not something to be criticized. The problem lies in Kim’s use of the phrase 'people with short futures,' borrowed from her son’s words, which implies harshness. It can be read as referring to the elderly as those with few days left to live, implying they are unnecessary in political decision-making. That is why it was inappropriate. Furthermore, Democratic Party lawmaker Yang Yi-won-young said regarding this controversy, "Many of those voting now will not even be alive in that future." After posting this on her Facebook, Yang deleted the statement about four hours later, apologizing for causing misunderstanding. However, what this controversy reveals is that the Democratic Party has not moved an inch from the elderly disparagement remarks made by former Uri Party Chairman Jeong Dong-young before the 17th general election, who said, "People over 60 should not vote."

Last month, after a meeting with first-term Democratic Party lawmakers, Kim left a famous remark calling them 'Corona first-timers,' saying, "It feels like there is no communication," which sparked backlash from the first-term lawmakers. At the Innovation Committee’s youth roundtable on the 30th, one participant said, "Politicians who know nothing about the lives of young people have come and just talked; they should listen to the youth’s stories." The start of communication is 'listening.' For Kim Eun-kyung’s Innovation Committee, which is traveling nationwide to engage with various sectors, reducing unnecessary remarks is essential for success.

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