[Inside Chodong] The Political World’s Misguided Courtship of Youth

Among the slang terms commonly used by young people is the word ‘aggro’ or the phrase ‘to pull aggro.’ Searching online reveals that it is a term frequently used in the chat rooms of online games where multiple players connect, and it is said to have originated from the English word aggravate, meaning ‘to worsen or annoy.’

Since the meaning was not entirely clear, a more detailed search showed that it refers to “posting provocative content or engaging in malicious behavior on internet forums to attract attention and cause trouble.” While it cannot be considered a positive form of communication, it is a slang term that reflects the current trend where message senders desperately try to hook readers, viewers, or audiences within just a few seconds amid an overwhelming flood of information.

Recently, the Democratic Party truly pulled aggro with their banner slogans. On the 17th, the Democratic Party Secretariat notified city and provincial party branches to hang banners with designated phrases as a teaser for the ‘2023 New Democratic Party Campaign ? The Democratic Galaxy Project.’ The four example banner drafts included phrases such as ‘I don’t really understand politics, but I want to live well,’ ‘I don’t know about the economy, but I want to have a lot of money,’ and ‘You said you want to live alone, but did you mean you want to be alone?’

Once the banner slogans were revealed, criticism poured in not only from the ruling party but also from within the opposition, accusing the Democratic Party of disparaging the younger generation in their 20s and 30s as a selfish group indifferent to politics and the economy, only pursuing personal comfort. As the controversy grew, Han Junho, the party’s publicity committee chairman responsible for the campaign, denied involvement on the 19th, stating, “The examples were provided by the agency handling the campaign prepared by the Democratic Research Institute,” and “It was a work-related mistake, but neither party officials nor the party itself were involved.”

Ultimately, just four days later on the 20th, the Democratic Party canceled the general election promotional event scheduled for the 23rd in Yeonnam-dong, a popular youth hotspot. Secretary-General Jo Jung-sik apologized, saying, “That advertisement was a proposal containing a bold promotional concept from external experts, but the party failed to review it carefully,” and “Regardless of intent, if it caused discomfort to the public and party members, it was a clear mistake.”

This was supposed to be a teaser or a preview, suggesting there might be something more meaningful to follow, and one might try to see it as a playful attempt to approach the public with a slogan parodying a famous book title. However, it went beyond the bounds of tolerance. How can we understand the tone-deaf sensibility of politicians who, while targeting young voters, put up banners that portray youth as politically ignorant and as an unlikable group obsessed with money without any economic understanding? To them, are young people seen only as ignorant and indifferent except for their own survival, mere targets to provoke for attention or to win votes through short-lived populism?

Baek Se-hee, the author of ‘I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki,’ which the Democratic Party’s parody seems to reference, wrote in her book, “I now know how to turn the arrow toward the other person. I think I will not let you destroy me. I recognize that my life and myself are not that insignificant or trivial.”

Currently, the majority of young people in Korea are struggling in a society of survival of the fittest, marked by economic inequality and alienation, intensified competition, and meritocratic logic that blames ‘your failure on your incompetence and lack of effort.’ From the perspective of youth and at the national level, it is disappointing to see the political sphere’s approach to caring for and encouraging their growth. In the end, the political world has turned youth into ‘you little things.’

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