Pukyong National University

Jeong Seong-Hoon from the dept. of political science & diplomacy, elected as a city councilor of Yangsan in the 2022 local elections

- at the age of 22, the youngest member throughout districts, cities, and towns in Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam area

△ Jeong Seong-Hoon, elected as Yangsan city councilor ⓒPhoto Lee Sung-Jae (PR team)

A student candidate has been elected at the international age of 22, the youngest member throughout districts, cities, and towns in Busan-Gyeongnam area in the 2022 local elections.

It is Jeong Seong-Hoon, a student from the department of political science and diplomacy at Pukyong National University (3rd year, on a leave of absence).

Born on September 6, 1999, the winner, Jeong Seong-Hoon, ran for the Yangsan city councilor (voting precinct 'A'), where only two people were elected in this election, and was elected as the first.

The media attention was focused on the emergence of young politicians, which are rare in local elections. It is the first time at Pukyong National University that a student has been elected to the city council. Pukyong Today met the main character of this interesting story.

As already mentioned in many media interviews, the reason he ran for election was because he wanted to become a politician who could solve local problems and, as a young man, he wanted to solve the problems of young people himself.

However, as a student, how did he get through the many difficulties of the election campaign, such as the budget problem?

He said, "I ran for the election with 6 million won by collecting 3 million won from the military deposit I received after being discharged from military duty last year and 3 million won from the studio apartment deposit. In a 10 ㎡ office, without an election clerk, I ran an election campaign alone."

Even in such a poor environment, his sincerity in the election resulted in him winning the election.

He said, "Without the support of election clerks, I searched for events and citizens as much as possible. It was as if one candidate had personally visited all the campaign sites by himself, so the citizens seem to have a good impression of me."

At first, winning was not his goal. It was close to what he meant to run for election. However, while listening to the stories of the citizens and the socially disadvantaged in the field, his goal was to be elected somehow to solve many real-world problems and the problems of the youth. In addition, he borrowed more than 10 million won to complete his campaign.

It wasn't that he only had the will. After being discharged from the military, he has been serving as a member of the Busan University Student Committee for People power party, as well as participating in the university student mock council contest with students from the department of political science and diplomacy in the first and second year of university and won the grand prize in the group and individual category each. Aiming to become a politician, he has always worked hard to acquire his knowledge and experience, such as double majoring in law for in-depth study.

Having achieved his dream of winning the election, what is his next goal?

"Although Yangsan is an area with many young people, it seems that the infrastructure for young people to work in Yangsan is lacking. My primary aim is to have essential glue for local youth to stay active in the region," he said.

To make it possible, he is already listening to residents' complaints, examining the site, and thinking about solutions. He is also preparing to fulfill the promises he has made.

When asked what he would like to say to school friends, who had started his full-fledged parliamentary activities as a city council member, he expressed his pride as a Pukyong National University student.

"In the campus, I was able to learn and experience a lot. I hope that students do not limit themselves and challenge themselves in the field they want to challenge," he continued to say, "I met many people during the election campaign and found that Pukyong National University graduates were active in Yangsan as well as in many places. I will continue to work hard bring honor to my university." <Pukyong Today>