[Reporter's Notebook] The Standard of 'Good Politics'

When I meet and talk with teachers, youth counselors, and others close to me, the conversation inevitably turns to the mental health issues of adolescents. Their experiences reveal a sharp increase in the number of teenagers seeking treatment for depression, as well as those attempting self-harm. It is reported that 396 teenagers took their own lives last year alone. At this rate, it is no exaggeration to say that our youth have fallen into a state of "collective depression." To borrow the words of Émile Durkheim, who defined suicide as "social homicide," adolescents may indeed be being "massacred."
Even as youth face such a severe crisis, the political sphere, which should be discussing a "better life," remained silent. Youth stakeholders felt frustrated watching the recent vetting process for the Minister of Gender Equality and Family. The Ministry of Gender Equality is the lead agency for youth policy. It is clear that the controversies surrounding Minister nominee Yong Hye-in regarding a "family party" and "underground organizations" are serious issues. However, the fact that policy discussions, such as relief measures for youth, did not take place during the personnel vetting process was enough to make stakeholders sigh deeply. In the 2027 budget proposal, the budget for the Ministry of Gender Equality's "youth policy and capacity building" was reduced from approximately 107.7 billion won to 90.7 billion won. Signs of the crisis are emerging one after another, yet our capacity to detect and heal them is insufficient.
It is said that before a social disaster occurs, there are 300 minor warning signs and 29 trivial accidents. Isolation was also cited as the cause of the stabbing incident in 2023. The distorted anger of those who were isolated and depressed led to the tragedy. Is the fear that the outcry of youth might one day turn into a massive disaster something only I feel as a baseless apprehension? If such a disaster were to occur, dozens of "○○ Prevention Acts" would likely be proposed afterward, yet none would even be brought before the standing committees. We can see this by looking at the status of the proposals that were discussed at the time, such as the introduction of "life imprisonment without parole" and the "judicial hospitalization system."
While there may be various criteria for good politics, I believe that "politics that instills a sense of efficacy" is what constitutes good politics. I mean politics that allows us to tangibly feel that our lives are improving. President Lee Jae-myung also spoke of a "better life." At a press conference on the 18th, he stated that he expects the public's evaluation of the government to improve if citizens feel that their lives have gotten better. The President must surely know that being swayed by the controversy over the withdrawal of charges will never improve the lives of the people. Only by engaging in politics that heals the people will he be able to receive a better evaluation.
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