In the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, interactions have become more contact-free, and online-based meetings have started to take over from traditional offline gatherings. The National Assembly, where Kim Young-Choon (’81, English Language and Literature) acts as the Secretary-General, has also joined this trend by promoting a new venture, “Digital National Assembly.”

About Kim Young-Choon:

Kim Young-Choon was a member of the 16th, 17th, and 20th National Assembly and has since assumed the role of the Secretary-General. Before becoming the Secretary-General, Kim worked as the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Considering the current shift in the social atmosphere associated with COVID-19 and the need for action to protect the natural environment, the National Assembly has decided to launch two new projects under Kim’s supervision— the Digital National Assembly and the construction of Sejong Assembly Hall.

GT: What motivated you to become involved in the National Assembly as a politician?

Kim: When I first entered college, I did not have any interest in politics. However, a shocking event that happened during my freshman year changed everything. One day, as I was getting ready for class in a large classroom, a classmate ran up to the front of the classroom and started to shout, “Fellow students, we cannot live like this…” Even before she could finish, ten men who were sitting in the front row ran up to her and dragged her out of the classroom. It turned out those ten men were police officers who were staking out the classroom.

I painfully lived through my college life having to witness similar events happen one after another. A thought that always came across my mind was, “Do I have to live like this? Do I have to accept this reality?” My awareness of and fury at society back then, in which human dignity was severely violated, led me to participate in student activism that sought a democratic society.

When I was a senior in college, I was expelled from school and sent to jail because I revived the student council and became its president. At this stage, I started to see how politics was deeply embedded in my life. In 1987, I decided to join the movement for a constitutional amendment to ensure a direct election system. The election system has not always been like it is today, where the president is elected based on the ballots cast by each and every voter. Back then, the president was elected based on the votes of an electoral college involving a small number of people. I thought that a true democratic society could only be formed through the amendment of the constitution for a direct election system.

During that time, former President Kim Young-Sam was the co-chairman of the Council for the Promotion of Democracy. I visited him and expressed my eagerness to join the movement and eventually worked as his secretary. This was the starting point of my involvement in politics. After a series of twists and turns, former President Kim asked me to support him during the presidential election in 1992. Therefore, I returned to school, finished my undergraduate studies, completed my graduate studies, and then started working for him. This is my story of how I jumped into politics.

GT: What is the key role of the secretariat and the Secretary-General of the National Assembly?

Kim: The Secretary-General of the National Assembly has a lot of roles. I am responsible for the administrative work of the secretariat and other various organizations within the National Assembly that involve approximately 5,500 people. I am also in charge of the human affairs and budgetary matters in the National Assembly, and I handle various administrative issues related to the aides of the National Assembly congressmen. The secretariat supports the various activities of the congressmen, and I take care of administrating these duties as well.

GT: The National Assembly is working to achieve digital innovation through the establishment of different teams. Why is this needed, and what is the National Assembly’s plan in achieving this goal?

Kim: Initially, we attempted to achieve a wider range of digitalization at the National Assembly to improve the level of service for the public. There has been criticism that the National Assembly is not very friendly in terms of providing information to the public.

While we were working on this project, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. In this situation, online activities started to become more common in place of face-to-face meetings, so we needed to acquire and set up the appropriate equipment and operate it effectively. Thus, with the COVID-19 outbreak, our goal for a more digitalized National Assembly has been expanded to achieve major digital innovation. The long-term goal for the project is to develop the National Assembly and all associated environments to better represent society during the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution.

For this, we have established the Digital National Assembly Promotion Team and have worked on this project for two months. When I worked as the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, I initiated a similar project in which I eliminated the division between different departments and promoted collaborative work. This project was pretty successful and has since been noted as exemplary. Therefore, I decided to try something similar to this in the context of the National Assembly.

The National Assembly is already seeing some significant shifts in terms of digitalization as the entire National Assembly is now set up with equipment for online interactions, much of which has been greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

GT: Do you have any advice for students at KU?

Kim: I hope KU students and alumni not only consider their personal growth but also contribute to the nation’s and humanity’s well-being.

Even when you are engaged in your personal matters, you can contribute to the nation and humanity through your personal success. In order to do so, you need to spend time reasoning by yourself, reading books, and constantly studying the world and the people in it. I believe that people, even by just doing the things they like, can grow to become healthy citizens.