25-year-old presidential aide for youth affairs prompts fairness issue

‘Many young jobseekers feel sense of deprivation’

Cheong Wa Dae’s appointment of a 25-year-old politician as a presidential secretary has created stir among politicians and citizens.

While the presidential office tried to demonstrate its efforts to meet young people’s needs by appointing the political rookie to the high-ranking position, many citizens — especially young ones — view the appointment as “unfair” amid the reality where it is difficult for the majority of young people to get a job despite years of struggle.

On Monday, Cheong Wa Dae announced Park Seong-min’s appointment as the secretary for youth-related affairs, a newly created position. Park was one of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) spokespeople representing young members, and was picked as a member of the party’s Supreme Council last August by then-party Chairman Lee Nakyon. Still studying at Korea University, Park plans to request a leave of absence from the university soon, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

She will get a salary and other perks equivalent to those of first-level government officials in the nine-tier public servant system, in which the first-level is the top level.

When appointing her, presidential spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said that she has clearly expressed her opinions on major social issues while serving on the Supreme Council, even when her opinions clashed with other party members. “She showed an ability to strike a balance by listening to various voices,” the spokeswoman said.

It was also widely believed that the appointment came in response to the election of 36-year-old Lee Jun-seok as the new leader of the conservative main opposition People Power Party, which has been taking the lead in youth-related issues.

The unconventional appointment, however, is bringing a backlash from some. A council of PPP lawmakers’ aides issued a statement, Tuesday, saying that such an appointment will not get young people’s support, but only their anger, amid a reality where many college graduates and even master’s or doctoral degree holders cannot land jobs easily.

“Ordinary young people can become fifth-level public officials when they study hard for years and pass the state-run exam for public servants. Even if they work for 30 years, only a small number of them can reach second-level status,” it said. “Do you think young people support this appointment, or feel a sense of deprivation?”

The council also said that Park did not seem much different from established politicians while serving on the Supreme Council, adding that although she received a lot of attention at first, she has not officially released a single policy idea concerning young people.

There has also been a flood of negative comments from young citizens.

“Does this make sense? Many people try hard for decades of years to get that kind of position, but Cheong

Wa Dae appoints someone who has no capability? Is this the fairness you are talking about?” an internet user wrote.

“(The appointment) may be trying to provide an alternative to Lee Jun-seok. But at least he has been in politics for 10 years, accumulating experience through trial and error,” another wrote.

Regarding the row, senior presidential secretary for political affairs Lee Cheol-hee defended Park, saying that she did not come out of nowhere, but has been working for the party, so her abilities have been

verified.

“It is true that it takes 20-30 years for a public official to reach a position like hers. But her post doesn’t guarantee a specific term, and even if she serves for as long as she can, that will be less than one year as less than a year remains in President Moon Jae-in’s term,” the senior secretary said in a radio interview, Tuesday.

He added that Park’s appointment was not intended to counter the Lee Jun-seok phenomenon, saying that the party had started to consider appointing her long before Lee became the PPP leader.