3 young lawmakers share a “hopeful” vision for New Assembly

Jun 01, 2020, 08:40 am

AsiaToday reporters Lim Yoo-jin & Kim Youn-ji

Three young lawmakers in their 20s shared their ambitious vision of hope for the upcoming National Assembly. There are only three lawmakers who are born in 1990s, however what they do in the 21st Assembly is expected to determine whether more young people can participate in politics in the 22nd National Assembly.

Yong Hye-in, a 29-year-old proportional representative from the Basic Income Party; Jeon Yong-ki, a 28-year-old proportional representative from the Democratic Party; and Ryu Ho-jeong, a 27-year-old proportional representative of the Justice Party, shared in an interview with AsiaToday that they want to give people hope and bring a new sensation to the National Assembly with their youthful spirit.

Regardless of the party they belong to, the three lawmakers in their 20s spoke with one voice and said they want to make the upcoming National Assembly different from the previous one. “In order to make the National Assembly get to work promptly, I will focus on making a forum for discussions on legislative activities and policies that are the main task of the parliament,” Jeon said.

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Jeon Yong-ki from the Democratic Party

“I think the previous 20th National Assembly gave people great disappointment and it was shown in the outcome of the general election,” Yong said. “I will strive to engage in politics that focus on its original function,” she said.

“I’m thinking carefully about the role of the Justice Party in the National Assembly where the ruling party has secured 177 seats,” Ryu said. “Taking the steady path of progressivism will be the first priority,” she said. “I’d like to represent young workers.”

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Yong Hye-in from the Basic Income Party

There were various reasons for the three young lawmakers to join the National Assembly. “Participating in a candlelight protest in 2016 served as a momentum,” Jeon said. “While holding a candle, I had a lot of thoughts on how to calm the national anger. Since then, I started to work for the Democratic Party’s University Student Committee,” he said.

“I decided to engage in politics while watching the Sewol tragedy,” Yong said. “While it is very important to find the missing bodies and prevent recurrence, the most important thing is changing our society. For me, politics is the channel to change our society,” she added.

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Ryu Ho-jeong from the Justice Party

“When I worked in the IT industry, I could meet many IT laborers put up with terrible working conditions without the presence of a union,” Ryu said. “Eventually, I came to think that politics was the only solution.”

The three newly-elected lawmakers shared their goals in the 21st National Assembly. “Based on my experience as a young self-employed, I will communicate with young self-employed people and push for what they need,” Jeon said. “Legislating a basic income bill is the biggest goal in the 21st National Assembly as it can be a safety net for planning and designing a future for the youth,” Yong said. “I want to represent the voice of the socially weak and alienated. I will protect workers from reckless layoffs amid the economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Ryu said.

#lawmakers #National Assembly #Yong Hye-in #Jeon Yong-ki #Ryu Ho-jeong