South Korea presidential candidates urged to ‘make this the first eco election’ by young, key voters
- Environmental activists representing the ‘MZ’ generation, the young age groups that are key swing voters in this election, say they will ‘choose a climate president who will guarantee the survival of us all’
- They give examples of election candidates in the UK, Germany and the United States who have placed climate change at the top of their political agendas
Plan 0, a coalition of young activists in their 20s and 30s from four different groups, huddled in front of Sejong Centre for the Performing Art at Gwanghwamun Square, one of the city’s largest open public spaces. Four activists made speeches, criticising the candidates for having neglected to make pledges on dealing with climate change.
The protest ended with a performance, which parodied the four leading candidates ― Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), Ahn Cheol-soo of minor opposition People’s Party and Sim Sang-jung of the minor opposition Justice Party ― taking part in a debate but not addressing climate change issues.
The activists represented the young age groups that are key swing voters in this election. The DPK’s Lee and the PPP’s Yoon have rolled out pledges dedicated to these age groups, such as creating millions of new jobs, raising the salary for young men in compulsory military service, and mitigating regulations for virtual coin investment.
Despite these pledges, the activists on Thursday condemned the candidates for not having made any clear environmental pledges to prepare the country for the impending climate crisis.
Oh Ji-hyuk, from the environmental activist group, Youth Climate Emergency Action, said that the candidates are neglecting climate issues and instead making headlines mostly about poorly thought out pledges ― such as offering insurance coverage for hair loss treatment or shutting down the country’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family ― or for negative campaigning against rival candidates’ wives.
Oh, who represents Plan 0, said that following Thursday’s protest, the activists want to invite Yoon to join a debate about climate change with the other candidates. He added that the activists will also contact Lee, Sim and Ahn to ensure they don’t renege on their promises to join such a debate.
“We are now devising plans about how to respond to the candidates if they break their promises to participate in a debate about climate change,” Oh said.
Kim Ji-yun, the co-representative of activist group Green Environment Youth Korea, said during Thursday’s protest that Plan 0’s activists, “who represent the MZ generation, will choose a ‘climate president’ who will guarantee the survival of us all.”