Photo: Assembly Member Ryu Ho-jeong announces new proposed legislation, August 12, 2020. Credit: Facebook pages of the Office of the Assembly Member Ryu Ho-jeong
Two female legislators, both first-term Assembly Members of minor parties born in the 1990s, made headlines this week. Justice Party’s Ryu Ho-jeong 류호정, a 28 year old freshman Assembly Member, turned heads by wearing a flowing red dress into the Main Hall instead of a suit. Sexist online attacks followed, reflecting the hardship faced by Korean women because of the implicit dress code at their workplaces.
Photo: Assembly Member Yong Hye-in at the National Assembly, January 22, 2020. Credit: Facebook page of the Office of the Assembly Member Yong Hye-in
Meanwhile, the floor speech advocating for the renters by freshman lawmaker Yong Hye-in 용혜인 of the minor Basic Income Party 기본소득당 is going viral, pitting her against the UFP’s Yoon Hee-suk who spoke forcefully on behalf of the landlords. The 30-year-old Yong, the sole parliamentary representative of the Basic Income Party which is affiliated with the Democratic Party, railed against the UFP that the conserative party is whining about the taxes levied on the “real estate magnates who are paying the top marginal tax,” and exhorted that the Assembly Members “must represent the people who live in the legal minimum 4 pyeong (130 square feet) housing.” The Youtube video of Yong’s floor speech garnered more than 615k views, double of the view count of Yoon Hee-suk’s speech.
