Polls show that almost 80 per cent of Koreans supported the impeachment of conservative President Park Geun-hye and that many are now satisfied, but we Greens want more. The scandal and the protest movement were a combination of old problems and pointed to the need for fundamental political reforms. Of course we were there in the Candlelight Struggle. Last year in Seoul and across Korea, there were massive protests against government corruption. Nor do we have time to participate in the political arena. Koreans work too many hours and don’t have any time to think. We always try to stand with people fighting against state violence, militarisation, or the construction of nuclear plants, and we are spreading our impact bit by bit. Some people, even if just a few, remember that it was the Green Party that first put forward a certain idea. But whenever we start to talk about new ideas, such as basic income or animal rights, a few years later all the other parties start to talk about them. It’s very difficult get public exposure, we don’t have any popular politicians or big media support. How receptive has Korea been to new green or environmentalist ideas? Similar to the USA, the Democratic Party is very big, and then there is the Liberty Korea Party too, which is the former president’s party. While they sometimes separate and change their names, they have remained the same two parties with the same people – a handful of famous politicians. How do you fit into the political landscape in Korea?įor a very long time, Korea has had a bipartisan system with two big parties. We couldn’t give up on politics in Korea. Everyone’s lives are affected by politics and their voices need to be heard. Young people, women, and minorities, people with disabilities, we invite the marginalised into the centre of politics as new political subjects, even if it is a shock to Korean society. Elections are our chance to make a new political culture from how we campaign and the ideas we put forward. We are contesting the image and context of politics. Many people in Korea hate politics, hate politicians, and don’t put any hope or trust in politicians. It’s urgent to get new agendas out there and we are the ones putting them on the table when it comes to energy, nuclear power, micro-dust pollution, climate change, feminism, LGBT issues, and electoral reform.Ĭhanging the way people think about politics is crucial too. We don’t have any MPs or local councillors yet, but we are making a big impact on the political area. Of course, we had known about Green parties around the world since the 1970s-80s, but actually establishing a party was tough. Organising new political parties in Korea is very difficult because the laws haven’t been changed since the dictatorship era. It was a catalyst for us to try and change politics from the grassroots, not only regarding the energy system but raising questions such as minority rights seriously for the first time too. Korea today has 24 nuclear power plants, despite being a very small country and a dangerous earthquake-risk zone. Juon Kim: We were founded in 2012, a year after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, when a tsunami caused a nuclear plant to explode. How did the Greens get started and what are your main focuses? Green European Journal: The Korean Green Party is relatively new on the scene in South Korea. On the sidelines of the BIEN Basic Income Congress in Tampere, Finland, we sat down with co-chair of the Korean Green Party Juon Kim to ask about welfare provision in South Korea, peace and politics in Northeast Asia, and the trials and promises of Korea’s fledgling Green party. A rising force that performed well in the Seoul elections, Korean Greens are changing the culture and common sense of Korean politics from below.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |