[Inside Chodong] Even If You Shave Your Head, Hair Grows Back?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"When we asked for fresh proposals reflecting the values and spirit of the 2030 generation, there was no ‘ideology’ contained within."

A re-elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea expressed this sentiment while discussing the party’s ‘youth politics,’ lamenting the situation. Although the qualifications of the party’s youth committee members have improved significantly compared to before, they have been criticized for lacking a ‘philosophy’ or ‘ideology’ as politicians.

This remark came to mind again immediately after hearing on the 14th that even the party’s youth committee members had joined in shaving their heads. Perhaps due to growing fatigue from the opposition’s frequent ‘fasting’ and ‘head-shaving’ protests, the impact was muted. After seeing them in person, the fatigue only deepened. Those who said they came out with “extraordinary determination” held up a banner stating, “Now the youth will fight.” The youth committee, fully solemn, listed incidents such as the Itaewon tragedy, Osong disaster, the Hong Beom-do controversy, and the issue of Japan’s radioactive wastewater discharge, shouting, “Is this a country?” They urged President Yoon Seok-yeol to “restore democracy” and told their fellow party members, “This is not the time for power struggles.” Many other statements followed, but the most eye-catching slogan was a call for the Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, who is fasting, to stop his fast. Upon closer inspection, the event notice sent to reporters was titled ‘Request for Party Leader to Stop Fasting and Head-Shaving Ceremony.’

If the youth’s decision to shave their heads was an act to urge Lee Jae-myung to end his fast, there have been similar cases in the past. Former President Moon Jae-in, during his time as a member of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy in 2014, went on a hunger strike to stop the hunger strike of Sewol ferry victim’s family member Kim Young-oh. Moon’s solidarity fasting led Kim to stop his fast after 46 days and is credited with helping pass the Sewol Special Act that Kim demanded. It is questionable whether the youth committee’s head-shaving to stop Lee’s fast will have the same effect as during Moon’s time.

The justification for Lee’s fast, which is increasingly becoming a desperate crisis, is vague, leading to criticism that it is a ‘domestic fast aimed at rallying the “Gaeddal” (devoted Lee supporters).’ The resolve of those shaving their heads to stop the fast was similarly difficult to interpret as having any deeper meaning. If there had been a clear consensus on the fast’s justification, the head-shaving could have been seen as a meaningful extension of that. However, in an atmosphere where a party supreme council member openly states at official meetings that “Protecting Lee Jae-myung is the path for the Democratic Party,” can the youth’s head-shaving have any meaning beyond ‘protecting Lee Jae-myung’?

Criticizing the current political situation, an elderly professor cited the words of Yi Tak-o, a late Ming dynasty thinker: “When the dog in front barked at its shadow, I barked along. When asked why I barked, I could only smile awkwardly without saying a word. Without thought, one gets trapped in camps, and once trapped, the importance lies in how loudly one echoes the camp’s claims, so thought diminishes even more.”

Park Kwang-on, the Democratic Party floor leader, said, “Head-shaving is one of the most sincere and strong forms of protest a person can make.” However, a first-term lawmaker told reporters, “Hair grows back.” We ask again: why shave heads? If the answer to the head-shaving issue is no more than this, then youth politics lacks ideology and even a clear path forward is uncertain.

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