Encouraging university students to participate in general election
University students are paying more attention to the general social issues of Korea. As they could not just sit around without taking any action, they decided to change the society themselves. In order to put their wills into actions, they gathered to make political organizations with the purpose of drawing students into voting. It is believed that casting a vote is a way of participating in politics to solve problems in the Korean society. Therefore, organizations are attempting to encourage university students to exercise their civil rights, one of which is voting.
Groups of university students have established several political organizations to encourage voting in the election. 2030 HADA is an organization aimed to tackle problems among youths such as the high unemployment rate. It has participated in numerous campaigns including a march in remembrance of the Sewol Ferry victims and a rally against the controversial state-sponsored history textbook program. 2030 HADA was established based on the common perception that the nation’s young people have become increasingly unhappy in the last decade. They thought that although the public and politicians talked about the severity of the social problems youths have to deal with, no one has actually tried to improve the conditions of living and education. Resentment and hope of a group of students led to the establishment of 2030 HADA.
“We are now trying to encourage the participation of young people in voting for the upcoming election,” said You Ji-hoon, the representative of 2030 HADA. “We have to show our power in this election so that politicians cannot ignore our demands. Casting votes in the 20th National Assembly will gradually solve youths’ problems and ultimately lead to a better Korea for sure.”
Another organization, “People’s Action for Democracy” is conducting a campaign named “Remember Car,” which also promotes voting for 4.13 general election on university campuses. Using a truck with posters and a screen, Remember Car delivers information about the general election. The posters and the screen carry images from recent national issues and controversies such as the Sewol Ferry disaster, victims of the “comfort women” issue, and the election. Although this campaign is not carried out by students, it awakens university students to vote for the election.
“People tend not to vote since they do not know much about politics,” said Kim Jae-wun, the secretary general of “Remember Car.” “The voting participation is especially low among young people, and if this trend continues, the society will eventually lose its vitality as a democracy. We would like to increase the voter rate through our campaign.”
Remember Car emphasizes that youths should not forget the message of the Sewol Ferry disaster that it is important to raise awareness of safety as well as the issue of “comfort women” and the state-sponsored history textbook program. Remember Car was designed to remind the importance of these issues for the young and candidates of the election.
“I hope more people take time to vote,“ Kim said. “When people vote, they consider candidates, politics and the policies they would favor. Then their understanding of such issues would make our society better.”