Park Chandae "My heart swells when I see the Taegeukgi and youth... Our light"

Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 23rd, "These days, my heart swells every time I sing the national anthem and see the Taegeukgi," adding, "When I see our youth, my heart swells."

On the 23rd, participants including Floor Leader Park Chan-dae are taking a commemorative photo at the Democratic Party of Korea National Youth Committee National Youth Party Members Conference held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

Floor Leader Park attended the launch ceremony of the party's National Youth Committee held at the National Assembly that day and stated, "Youth are our light in the most difficult times."

He said, "Last December, when the Yoon Seok-yeol administration denied the constitution and declared an illegal emergency martial law, the youth were the first to take to the streets to protect democracy in the Republic of Korea," adding, "Even in the darkness, they lit the light and defended the freedom guaranteed by the constitution, ordinary daily life, and the future of Korea."

He continued, "We confirmed that there is hope for Korea because of the youth," and emphasized, "However, we must not stop there; now is the time for Korea to give hope to the youth."

He also pointed out burdens such as interest rates, housing costs, and employment difficulties, saying, "The biggest task is to change this despairing reality."

On the same day, Jin Seong-jun, the chairman of the Policy Committee, emphasized the importance of youth politics by citing the lives of youth during the Japanese colonial period.

Chairman Jin said, "When I was in high school learning modern literature from the 1930s in Korean class, I heard this: Among the Korean youth under Japanese rule at that time, the smart youth were divided into two groups. Those who took up arms and fought in Manchuria, and those who, thinking there was no future for this country no matter what, fell into opium addiction."

He added, "When youth see the future as negative, there are two paths: one is a revolutionary, the other is a drug addict," and said, "How to change such a society is the destiny of politics."

He then said, "As Representative Lee Jae-myung said, politics may seem like something politicians do, but in fact, it is the people who do it," and urged, "I believe that pioneering the future of youth is not the job of incumbent politicians but of the youth themselves."

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