Chyung, a 3rd-generation lawmaker, vows to solve tasks of his time


When the Democratic United Party’s Chyung Ho-joon, a third-generation politician, won in Seoul’s Jung district in the April parliamentary elections, he not only achieved a familial victory but set a significant record in Korean politics.

Chyung is now representing the same constituency that his late grandfather and father served throughout their parliamentary careers spanning 13 National Assembly terms.

His grandfather, Chyung Il-hyung, was an eight-term lawmaker and a political mentor to late President Kim Dae-jung. His father, Chyung Dai-chul, was a five-term lawmaker, and the kingmaker behind late President Roh Moo-hyun.

His late grandmother, even, was the first woman lawyer in Korean history and at the vanguard of feminism here.

While such an imposing political lineage might have given Chyung an earlier chance to jump into politics, the path toward his own success was long and grueling.

“The voters are not foolish. It is not an era where you get votes just because you are the son of somebody,” Chyung told The Korea Herald.

It took eight years for him to finally win a parliamentary seat. In 2004, Chyung lost to his father’s political rival Park Sung-beom of the Grand National Party. In 2008, Chyung once again tried, only to lose the party’s nomination.

“I believe the people of Jung district trained me for the past eight years and finally decided that I was now worthy of their support. I believe because of my background, my constituents have higher hopes and I have a greater sense of duty to do better than anyone,” Chyung said.

Following the steps of his father and grandfather was not initially on Chyung’s mind, who originally dreamed of becoming a successful CEO that would create a “giving” culture in Korean society.

“I did not like politics. I did not like the lives of politicians that I got to see,” Chyung said. He grew up hearing about and witnessing the oppression that his grandfather and father endured as harbingers of remonstration against Japan’s colonial rule and military dictatorship.

“As I spent a total of 10 years in the United States, I came to learn that the culture of sharing was the engine behind the power of that country,” he added, explaining that he wished to play a part in bringing that to Korea.

Admitting that he thinks the “DNA” in him finally acted up, Chyung said he decided to enter politics upon the arrest of his father on a political funds law violation in relation to the presidential campaign in 2002, an incident that shook the family.

“After months of agonizing, I decided it was my mission, and that by joining politics, I could still work to realize my dream of giving, but in a much broader sense.”

He went from an aspiring IT expert working at Samsung Electronics to a political rookie for eight years that saw him suffer emotional letdowns and financial difficulties.

“I continued to pursue, because I believed that success comes from fervor that refuses to give up.”

Now as he formally joins the National Assembly, Chyung appeared determined, full of aspirations that represent his own generation.

“The keyword to my grandfather’s era was to found a country, while for my father it was democracy. For me, it is to ease social polarization, bring universal welfare, democratize the economy and resolve inter-Korean relations.”

As the first step, Chyung said he wished to join the National Assembly’s welfare committee and work for wider welfare benefits, such as by scrapping the planned relocation of the National Medical Center in his constituency.

As one of the fresh faces in the 19th National Assembly, which has 148 first-termers out of the 300 members, Chyung also shared his thoughts on the political culture that he has got to experience.

“It seems that there is not much opportunity where we can do something together with the Saenuri Party lawmakers,” he said, adding that a fellow lawmaker in his second term once told him they often end up not getting to know half the rival lawmakers until the very end of the National Assembly term.

“Unless through standing committees, (we are distanced) just because we belong to a different party despite how we work for the same purpose, for a better nation.”

Suggesting that there should be more casual gatherings in addition to the formal ones amongst the different party members, Chyung said that the political circles should also change the culture of any idea or measure proposed by the opposing party being shunned regardless of merit.

Asked what he would do if his 5-year-old son came to him and said he wanted to become a politician too, Chyung smiled, saying he gets that a lot.

“I became one despite my father’s opposition, just as how my dad became one despite my grandfather’s opposition. I wouldn’t recommend it but I wouldn’t stop him,” he said.

Born in the Jung district in 1971, Chyung graduated from Hanyang University and went on to earn his Master’s at New York University. He worked at Samsung Electronics until he decided to run in the 17th general elections. Chyung then worked in the secretariat of the Roh Moo-hyun administration and participated in the campaign for Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. He is currently the head of the commemoration association for his late grandfather and grandmother and runs Social Culture Sharing Association that offers cultural experiences to the underprivileged.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)