With 70,000 Won of Secondhand Furniture, a Candidate Vows 'Principled Politics'

Yeom Jeong-woo, a 35-year-old candidate for the People Power Party in Ansan City Council, is running on a platform of "principled politics." His campaign office, located on the fifth floor of a commercial building in Bon-o-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, is sparsely furnished with two desks, eight chairs, a small water purifier, and a mini-refrigerator. Yeom purchased all these used items from the secondhand marketplace Karrot Market for a total of 70,000 won (approximately $50). He chose not to establish a fundraising committee, stating his desire to keep the election process clean and transparent from the outset.

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I want to do politics with conviction.

Yeom has been interested in public service since his university days, participating in the resident participatory budget committee and proposing various local improvement ideas as a native of Ansan. After graduating, he worked as a reporter for Joesilbo, covering budgets and policies. This experience fueled his desire to become a "player" in politics, leading him to run for the Gyeonggi Provincial Council in 2022. Although he lost that election, Yeom remained determined. He spent three years working as a media and public relations specialist for Ansan City, gaining administrative experience. His motivation to enter politics stems from a deep-seated desire to help citizens in their daily lives.

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I want to make the election process clean and transparent.

To connect with constituents, Yeom actively uses social media to gather feedback. Based on this input, he has proposed several policies: expanding the immediate collection system for indiscriminately parked electric kickboards, creating a simple pet playground, establishing new ordinances related to pigeons, introducing taxi payments via local currency, and opening a dedicated complaint channel for motorcycle noise. Yeom pledges to be more than just a figurehead if elected, aiming to serve as a communication channel between the administration and citizens.

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I want to do politics that helps people in their daily lives.

Emphasizing his principles, Yeom criticizes the established political circles of both major parties, asserting that "ultimately, people need to change." He believes that if youth politics merely replicates the existing political culture of conflict and repetition seen in national politics, it loses its meaning. Yeom hopes to earn the opportunity to serve citizens through his principled approach, becoming a political tool for their benefit.

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Ultimately, people need to change.