Cambodian immigrant, NK defector, ‘Squid Game’ star among ‘20 representatives of hope’
An immigrant from Cambodia, a North Korean defector and “Squid Game” star O Yeong-su were among “the 20 representatives of hope” who appeared on stage with President Yoon Suk-yeol during his inauguration Tuesday.
According to the presidential office, the representatives are “the hidden giants” who “made Korea proud” through their hard work and dedication. The list alludes symbolically to the policy direction of the new government.
Park Chae-eun, 35, a Cambodian-born woman who began a new life here after marrying a Korean national, was selected to represent multicultural families, which have become increasingly visible in Korean society over the past few years.
Children from such households account for more than 4 percent of all students at elementary schools nationwide, up from just 1.1 percent 10 years ago.
Um Gye-sook, 58, was among the five other women standing next to her. Um rose to fame for being a mother of 13 children in Gumi, which recently made headlines for displaying the largest decrease in population since it was granted city status in 1978.
The two women’s inclusion hints at Yoon’s concerns about the declining number of births — a challenge the previous Moon Jaein administration failed to mitigate — and changing the country’s strict immigration policy may become a part of his solutions for the problem. According to the government data, Korea’s fertility rate — the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime — was 0.81 last year, by far the lowest among the 38 OECD member nations.
Lee Eun-young, 47, represented North Korean defectors who have successfully settled in the South. Born in North Hwanghae Province, she came here in 2001. Lee has appeared in the media for her successful abalone farm in Gangjin County, South Jeolla Province.
Jun Hwan-soo, 32, another representative, was aboard the ROKS Cheonan when it was sunk by a North Korean torpedo attack in 2010.
Lee and Jun’s presence suggests Yoon’s North Korea policy will differ from Moon’s.
The previous president was accused by some of turning a blind eye to North Korea’s human rights abuses and tried to prevent activists from sending anti-regime leaflets into the North’s territory, mindful of agitating the country. Moon was reluctant to mention North Korea as an aggressor even during events to honor the victims of the torpedo attack.
In his inauguration speech, Yoon said he would not pursue a “temporary, vulnerable peace” that cannot be maintained. He also made it clear that if North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons, he would find ways to “dramatically improve” the lives of North Koreans in cooperation with other countries.
O, 77, who won the best supporting actor award at the 79th Golden Globe Award for his role in “Squid Game,” was the only celebrity representative. In the hit Netflix series, O played Oh Il-nam, a role that thrust him into the global spotlight.
Other “representatives of hope” included Kim Na-yoon, 29, who became a fitness model after losing her left arm in a motorcycle accident; Namgoong Sun, 44, a key member of the “Nth room” police investigation team; Shin Jin-seo, 22, a professional Go player who won several major international championships; and Kim Hye-yeon, 37, the founder and CEO of N.Thing, a Seoul-based agritech company leading innovations in agricultural products.