In "Profiles in Courage," written by U.S. President John F. Kennedy, eight senators appear. The courageous people Kennedy describes are those who act according to their political convictions, not party interests, even if their own future is at risk.
Kim Yong-tae (36), a lawmaker known in the People Power Party as part of the so-called "young reformers," cited Kennedy's book and said, "I also want to be a good person." Kim has been on a fast track at a young age, serving as the party's supreme council member for youth in 2021, winning a constituency seat in 2024, and becoming the emergency committee chair in 2025. But recently, with the "courage to be disliked," he has become the young politician who voices the harshest critiques on internal party issues.
◇"President Lee has looked only to the base for six months"
Looking back on 2025, Kim called it "a year when political extremism and polarization peaked." He said polarization among political forces centered on the Democratic Party of Korea's "reform daughters" and the People Power Party's "Yoon Again" was more severe than ever, and in the meantime, the lives of ordinary people and young people grew harsher. Kim proposed "political reform" as the solution. We met the 1990-born young politician Kim on Dec. 29 at the National Assembly Members' Office Building to hear his ideas on political reform. Kim is one of the representative "horse-year" politicians.
Kim said national unity has not been achieved since the Lee Jae-myung administration was launched. He meant that the "clearing of rebellion" pushed by the government and ruling party after President Lee Jae-myung took office led to division among the people.
He said, "Our society is still divided into two camps by the wound of martial law, with each side shouting its own voice," and added, "But the course President Lee Jae-myung has shown over the past six months has, in fact, been politics only for the base, which is disappointing. Terms like clearing and punishing rebellion are not appropriate for a president who must unite the people."
Meanwhile, hope for the future was disappearing for young people. Kim said, "I'm 36 this year, and when I talk with my friends, many feel a sense of urgency that they've fallen behind because they couldn't buy a home after their loans were cut off by the Oct. 15 real estate measures," adding, "While the Democratic Party extended the retirement age, meaningful discussion on structural reform of the National Pension Service has not taken place, leaving young people losing their rice bowls and their hope for the future."
◇Conservatives need change… "election and nomination reform" must be achieved
The solution Kim offered is growth. He stressed that for Korea to grow, the conservative party must change. He recalled a visit in June 2025 to the Daebul Industrial Complex in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province. When foreign workers at the complex's shipbuilders, centered on medium-sized vessels, saw their pay capped due to the 52-hour workweek, they were said to have left for day-labor jobs at sweet potato farms in Haenam, South Jeolla. Because "labor flexibility," long emphasized by conservative parties, was not secured, shipbuilding lost out to sweet potato fields.
Why couldn't the conservative political camp improve the 52-hour workweek? Kim diagnosed the problem as politicians caring more about nominations than policy. Because one can usually win a nomination only by "lining up with the right people," policy competitiveness has taken a back seat. He also said this problem routinely occurs in major parties on both sides. Citing the popular Netflix series "Culinary Class Wars," Kim said politicians should be like chefs who constantly research to move their guests.
Kim said, "In Korean politics, strategic nominations and single-candidate nominations prevail over primaries, so when in power, if you cross the party leader and the president, and when in opposition, if you cross the party leadership, you're 'out,'" adding, "If we adopt an open primary, as in the United States, allowing regional voters to choose parliamentary candidates, at least those seeking to become lawmakers will pretend to listen to voters' voices."
Kim is dreaming, even in a small way, of "political reform" in next year's local elections. He said, "As a lawmaker belonging to Gyeonggi Province, I want to achieve political reform within Gyeonggi in next year's local elections," adding, "There is a custom of nominating people who bring in money when exercising nomination rights, and I want to break this case and carefully choose public servants who will work for the community."
He added, "When election reform and nomination reform are achieved, I believe South Korean politics will upgrade by a level," and emphasized, "If people cheer more for politicians in each party who think rationally, rather than those who engage in extreme politics that produce volatile news with sensational issues, politicians will change."