SEOUL: At first glance, a shoeshiner and a tattoo artist may not appear to pay close attention to politics.
But they hope they can prove people wrong in the upcoming parliamentary election, reports South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Lee Rang, a 42-year-old tattoo artist, has declared his independent candidacy for the Mapo district in western Seoul with a campaign promise to legalise the tattoo business, which is illegal unless performed by a licensed medical doctor.
Despite this, tattoos have been growing in popularity among some young people.
“I have lived as a tattoo artist for nearly a decade ... And I might have been an outlaw here,” Lee said in his candidacy statement.
Lee said years of campaigning for the legalisation of the tattoo business made him pay attention to social issues.
Park Il-dong, a shoeshiner, has also registered his independent candidacy for Gwangju, a small city on the outskirts of Seoul. The 50-year-old man has gained attention for his campaign pledge that he would shine the shoes of his constituents to better listen to their voices if elected.
Lee and Park are among more than 1,520 people who have registered their candidacies for the parliamentary election set for April.
Of them, 792 have registered as ruling Saenuri Party runners while 337 seek to run on the ticket of the main opposition Minjoo Party. The rest have registered under the banners of the People’s Party, Justice Party and other splinter parties.
Kim Hyun-woo, a 34-year-old non-regular worker in the auto parts industry for more than a decade, is running in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, as an independent on the platform that he will represent workers on temporary employment contracts.
The issue of non-regular workers has become a key agenda of the government and management as some companies shun recruitment and instead rely on non-regular workers, who can be relieve off their duties easily.
Under last year’s landmark labour deal, the tripartite committee composed of labour, management and the government agreed to push for measures to improve non-regular workers’ work conditions and increase the flexibility of the labour market.
The unemployment rate for those between 15 and 29 jumped to a seven-month high of 9.5 per cent in January from 8.4 per cent tallied in December, according to government data.
Kim Doo-sup, who is running in Gimpo, just west of Seoul, stands as the oldest candidate. The 86-year-old holds a record for running in the general election 15 times since 1960.
Kim’s decades-long endeavour for a parliamentary seat paid off in 1992 when he was elected. But ever since, he has failed to make it to a second term.
“I have in-depth experience and know-how for the development of Gimpo,” said the former lawmaker in his pledge statement.
On the other end of the spectrum, Woo Min-ji, 24, is the youngest candidate and is running in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province as an independent.
Cho Eun-bi, a 26-year-old college student, has gained attention on the Internet for her young and stylish appearance, earning her the reputation as the best-looking candidate. She is seeking to run as a candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party.
She found herself at the centre of growing questions over whether she has what it takes after a video was aired in which she fumbled to answer a question on labour reform.
Political analysts say that candidates with colourful and unusual backgrounds are unlikely to make it into the National Assembly against all the odds.
“It will be a high challenge for them to compete with established party members who have spent years trying to cement their support base on the local level,” said Yoon Hee-woong, a senior analyst at the political consulting firm Opinion Live.--BERNAMA
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