'Youth Committee for All' aims to move young people from observers to decision-makers
Seeks to bring in college students, workers, self-employed and platform laborers
Ko rose through ward council and National Assembly staff before winning Seoul seat
Ko Chan-yang, a Seoul Metropolitan Council member representing Gangseo District Ward 1 for the Democratic Party of Korea, has announced her candidacy for chair of the party's Seoul chapter youth committee. She wants to move young people beyond being passive beneficiaries of policy or spectators of politics and make them direct participants in the party's policymaking and decision-making.
Ko formally declared her candidacy Monday through a statement titled "Youth Committee for All — Ko Chan-yang Will Lead the Way."
At the heart of her announcement was a recognition of the realities young people face today. She argued that because young Koreans can no longer follow the life path previous generations took — from finding employment to living independently, getting married and raising children — youth politics must also move beyond simply delivering existing support programs.
"Politics may not be able to provide every perfect answer," Ko said, "but young people must now be part of the process of finding those answers." She added that young people should not be mere observers of politics or passive recipients of support, but active participants in problem-solving and decision-making.
Building a political ladder for youth, not just participation
Ko has framed her vision for the youth committee under the banner of "Youth Committee for All."
The idea is to move away from an organization centered on young people with specific careers or political backgrounds, and instead build a structure that welcomes college students, office workers, the self-employed, platform laborers and young parents — giving them a voice inside the party and a seat at the table on policy decisions.
She also set out a goal of ensuring that young people's political participation does not end as isolated individual experiences, but becomes a pathway for the next generation to enter politics as well.
Ko entered politics through volunteer work as a college student. She later served on National Assembly staff before winning a seat on the Gangseo-gu ward council, and was elected to the Seoul Metropolitan Council from the Gangseo Ward 1 constituency in the June 3 local elections. She currently serves on the council's transportation committee.
During her time on the ward council, she helped draft an ordinance supporting victims of jeonse fraud in Gangseo-gu, and has shown sustained attention to the working conditions and social safety net issues facing young platform workers and freelancers.
Ko said the political opportunities she experienced should not remain a personal résumé item. Her goal, she said, is to institutionalize the process of political entry and growth so that new young people have a clear channel into politics and policymaking.
For the "Youth Committee for All" vision to produce real change within the party, concrete mechanisms will be needed — including structures that translate young people's policy proposals into actual party decisions, and clearer links with local youth organizations.
"One person's experience should become a solid system for the party and an open road for the next person," Ko said. "I will build a 'Youth Committee for All' where anyone can walk in comfortably, share their story, and take part directly in the party's decisions." She added: "I will stand at the very front of the change that moves young people from observers to decision-makers."
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
