A 27-year-old unemployed woman is challenging the liberal opposition Democratic United Party’s rising presidential star Moon Jae-in in Busan.
And in this “David versus Goliath” battle, her party, the ruling Saenuri, and its chairwoman, Park Geun-hye, appear to have little to lose.
The Saenuri Party confirmed earlier this week its selection of Sohn Su-jo to contest Busan’s Sasang constituency in the April 11 legislative election.
“At first, members of the (party’s) candidate screening committee didn’t take her very seriously, but they seemed very impressed by her passion and commitment to serve her hometown after interviewing her,” the Saenuri chief said during a forum Wednesday.
“We selected her because we believe that she stands a chance of winning,” Park said.
Political analysts said Sohn’s youth, passion and determination for a clean campaign were things that the party has been searching for, as it tries to shed its image of being a corrupt and old-fashioned party.
By putting the political novice up against a key presidential candidate of the opposition, the party also sought to minimize any impact that a loss could have on the party.
Sohn Soo-jo
Sohn’s victory, if realized, would certainly give a big boost to the party as well as Park, who is aspiring to run for the presidency. The April vote is considered a litmus test of voter sentiment ahead of the presidential ballot at the end of the year.
To the delight of Saenuri leaders, her popularity is rising after the nomination and media coverage, polls show.
In a survey conducted by local daily Hankyoreh, Sohn garnered 34.2 percent of support against Moon’s 47.1 percent. In other polls, her numbers came in at about half of Moon’s.
Traditionally, Sasang and other districts of Busan have been a safe seat for the conservatives. But Moon and other liberal heavyweights have turned the areas into key battlefields.
For Sohn, who was born and raised in Sasang, politics have been her childhood dream.
“I didn’t imagine that I would try it at this early age,” she said.
At school, she led the student body. After graduation from Ehwa Woman’s University in Seoul, she worked at a public relations firm for about one and a half years. In recent months, she has been searching for a journalism job.
She decided to run in the election, as Saenuri opened its door wide for young lawmaker aspirants to meet the public’s desire for new politics.
“I want to show people around my age that an ordinary person like me can make a dream come true in politics,” she said.
Just like other 20-somethings in Korea, she is into social networking services and blogging, updating her daily schedule and expenditures on twitter or her blog. She has pledged to spend just 30 million won for campaigning and reports all her expenditures on her blog.
“I believe that what makes a good politician is not the age or professional experience. It is one’s ability to listen,” she said.
By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldm.com)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
