[Magic Number 90%]⑥ Korean Savers Invest in 'Coin'... In Sweden, a 'Prepared Minister'

Swedish Politician Engaged in Party Activities Since Teens
Youth Committee → Local Councilor → National Assembly Member & Minister → Standing Committee → Party Leader
Active Political Participation... Addressing Youth Unemployment Issues

Last month, when the coin investment allegations against independent lawmaker Kim Nam-guk shook the political world, young politicians on the opposite side of the globe in Sweden fiercely debated measures to reduce employment tax burdens to increase youth hiring. Even Sweden, known as a 'welfare paradise,' has recently faced conflicts due to high tax burdens. Youth employment and job issues are common problems in developed countries, but Sweden's approach to solving them differed from that of South Korea. Young people actively participated in politics to drive institutional changes.

Douglas Thor, chairman of the Moderate Youth League (MUF), the youth political union of the Moderate Party, emphasized in an interview with Asia Economy at the MUF office in Stockholm on the 15th of last month that "(young people) must present practical and feasible measures to bring about real change when issues arise."

One in three party members are aged 12 to 30... "By their 20s, they are already familiar with politics, prepared lawmakers and ministers"

Photo by Swedish Parliament. How can the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, which has ranked last in public trust among government institutions for 10 consecutive years, regain the trust of the people? Citizens participate in voting at a rate of 8 to 9 out of 10, and political parties should reflect diverse social classes and voices rather than operating as 'concrete support bases.' Young politicians should not only be young in age but also propose new agendas. Members of the National Assembly should choose self-reform over institutional reform. Through the case of Sweden, we explored the direction of 'political reform.'

84.12%. This was the voter turnout rate in Sweden's general election held last September. Although it was slightly lower than the previous turnout of 87.1%, it still reflects a passionate political participation compared to South Korea's general elections, which hover around 60%. The secret lies in the active political engagement of young people. Swedish political parties nurture young politicians from an early age and encourage their participation in politics.

In Sweden, party activities start from the age of 12. The most active youth committee activities occur among 15- to 18-year-olds, who in South Korea would be focused on university entrance exams. Although affiliated with political parties, these youth committees independently set new agendas and identify and solve issues faced by their generation. Chairman Thor explained, "Active youth activities within parties mean that an environment capable of nurturing excellent politicians is in place."

One characteristic of Swedish politicians is their progression through youth committee activities to local councilor → member of parliament or minister → standing committee chair → party leader. Current Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is also a former MUF chairman. Thirty percent of Moderate Party lawmakers come from youth committees.

Each party in Sweden has youth unions and youth committees. The largest among them is the Moderate Party's MUF, with 55,000 members. The Moderate Party, advocating liberalism and conservatism, was the second-largest party in the parliament after the Social Democrats until last year's general election when it lost ground to the far-right Sweden Democrats. Thor explained, "MUF accepts members from age 12 to 30, and they make up 39% of the entire Moderate Party membership."

Thor, who has served as chairman since last year, is 25 years old this year. He said, "(The older generation) must listen to the voices of young people as future leaders, and young people must set their own goals, push for them, and pressure parties to turn them into policies," adding, "Our role is to think about how to make the country a better place for young people to live."

'If you do not stand up for freedom, who will?'

Photo by Ongeondang Youth Political Union (MUF). A photo of the current Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (center) is hung next to the door of the MUF office. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also served as the chairman of MUF from 1988 to 1992. In Sweden, individuals enter politics from their youth, participate in youth committees, and progress through roles such as local councilor, member of parliament, standing committee chairperson, minister, party leader, and prime minister.

Photo by Douglas Thor, Chairman of the Moderate Youth League (MUF), is showcasing props used for promotion while recruiting young party members last Christmas.

"If you do not stand up for freedom yourself, who will?" This is a question frequently used by MUF when recruiting young party members. The annual membership fee is 40 kronor, about 5,000 won, making MUF membership accessible. The membership size is overwhelming, and since it operates independently from the central party, the agendas they propose have significant social impact. They do not merely 'refer to' youth committee opinions but actually produce bills. A representative case of their intense discussions and policy changes is the 'Free School Choice System.'

Previously, in Sweden, students were assigned to nearby schools based on their residence, but with the introduction of the free school choice system, students can freely choose their preferred schools. This system is based on the government funding both public and private schools to expand options. Recently, discussions have been underway to devise measures to improve teacher capabilities.

Political parties visit schools directly to encourage youth membership. In Sweden, they can recruit young members at middle and high schools, similar to how universities in South Korea visit high school classrooms for school information sessions. Although recent restrictions limit far-right groups from entering classrooms to promote their parties, eight parties promote themselves outside schools or in lounges, engaging in heated debates on the same issues to encourage political participation. Thor said, "It is necessary to become familiar with democracy early on." He added, "At MUF, political training starts on average at age 16 through party programs, enabling members to grow into future party-representing politicians."

As of the end of last year, MUF had 17,000 teenage members. Thor, in his 20s, aims to become the Minister of Education. In Sweden, Gustav Fridolin, former Minister of Education, became the youngest member of parliament at 19 and the youngest minister at 32 in 2016.

Social Democratic Youth League institutionalizes '90-day guarantee'... lowers youth unemployment rate

Photo by Hubert Aziz, SSU (Swedish Social Democratic Youth League) Communications Officer. In the background, there is a photo of Magdalena Andersson, former Prime Minister and current leader of the Social Democratic Party.

Opposite the conservative MUF stands the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League (SSU), affiliated with the ruling Social Democratic Party, the largest party. Founded in 1889, the Social Democrats are the architects of the welfare state. The former prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, is the party leader. Like the progressive Social Democrats, SSU emphasizes the government's role in solving youth issues. Although Sweden boasts cradle-to-grave welfare for all citizens, SSU demands a better Sweden, criticizing it as 'unfair.'

At the SSU office on the 16th of last month, Youbert Aziz (32), communications officer, explained, "Regarding youth unemployment, we have emphasized strengthening vocational education, expanding municipal support, and employment through welfare budgets."

SSU accepts members aged 13 to 35, with 80% of members aged 15 to 21. This structure compels the parliament to actively address youth issues proposed by SSU. A notable policy that SSU proposed and was concretized into law is the '90-day guarantee' system. He said, "It provides assistance within 90 days to young people unemployed after graduation to help them become active." He added, "We demanded this from parties in 2014, and when parties accepted it, youth unemployment decreased." Recently, they have focused on seeking solutions to social conflicts arising from immigration issues.

Aziz explained the need to nurture young politicians, saying, "The interests and desired directions differ depending on positions such as rich and poor, employer and employee. From a long-term perspective, ultimately, young and youth politics have many roles in building the society we live in and will live in." He added, "SSU also visits schools to explain. They ask questions like 'Are there inconveniences due to too many students?' or 'Do you think transportation costs are expensive?' to raise awareness that these are all political issues, encouraging interest and emphasizing the importance of politics."

Regarding the position of a member of parliament, he said, "Regardless of party, (a lawmaker) must be faithful to the supporters who elected them," adding, "Words and actions must align, and one must be faithful to their ideology." He also had a message for young people and young politicians in South Korea.

"Politics is not given; you must work to obtain it. I want to emphasize that it is worth participating and that it is something that must be done in a democratic society."

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