The child who called the thermal power plant scholarship ‘life pay*’

 

I am from the ultimate countryside. This means I have childhood experiences that are more common among people who are now in their late 40s or early 50s.

 

When I was young, I had numerous dreams, like other children. I wanted to be a novelist, and also an astronomer. But the thing I wanted to do the most was to become an environmental activist.

 

The area I lived in had a thermal power plant. When I was in middle school, I received a scholarship given by the thermal power plant, and I called this ‘life pay.’ (*Life pay: A vernacular term for a form of special payment given to people working in life-threateningly hazardous or dangerous conditions.) I also participated in composition contests held by the power plant and wrote an essay sharply criticizing it. The theme of the contest was ‘Things you want to say to the thermal power plant.’ That year, the grand prize went to an essay writing about how clean the power plant was after exploring its columns as a bug; it was a parody of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis.

 

When I was in college, I started environmentalist activities before I graduated. I happened to (also a bit intentionally) intern in a place called ‘the Chuncheon forest of life,’ and at the time of graduation, I started to go to work there every day as a full-time employee.

 

There was no lack of concern from those around me, since the wages were low and I frequently had to work during the evenings and weekends. Still, I enjoyed it. Because I could do the things I wanted.

 

▲ I started activities to preserve Gariwang Mountain, a place as beautiful and mysterious as the planet in Avatar. ©Kim Eun-ji

To protect Gariwang Mountain from the Pyeongchang Olympics

 

In 2012, I started to work on preserving Gariwang Mountain. Gariwang Mountian is where the arena for alpine skiing is to be built for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. This mountain is designated as a forest genetic resource conservation zone and thus is a valuable place where the forest and vegetation should be protected. If you climb up Gariwang Mountain, you will see that it is as beautiful and mysterious as if it were from the film Avatar.

 

It was as a hands-on assistant administrator that I started working in the “Task Force to Preserve Gariwang Mountain and Create an Environmentally-Friendly Winter Olympics” to conserve such a mountain. I went to Gariwang Mountain, met with public servants, supporters and opponents of the development of the arena, and with the press. But since a young woman of only 24 years of age did such work, I was frequently looked down on.

 

“What would you know, at your age.”

 

My statements were neglected; my demands were dismissed; my activities were disregarded. It wasn’t merely because I was young. People who worked in environmental organizations or did environmental work lack strength—or more accurately put, they do not have power.

 

In addition it’s unfortunate that in reality, efforts to preserve the environment cause one to be called a “jong buk” [derogatory term for sympathizers of North Korea], or “jwa-bbal” [derogatory term for leftists]. I told them that if those words meant someone protecting the ecosystem, I would willingly become a jong-buk or jwa-bbal.

 

In addition, people also said, “How do you know what living in the countryside is like,” or, “People who have never lived here can’t possibly know how thirsty we are for development,” to which I can say with confidence,

 

“I’m from the countryside. The ultimate countryside!”

 

Running as the proportional representative candidate for the Green Party in the June 4th regional elections

 

But working on Gariwang Mountain conservation activities together with other projects in the organization I work at, I started to sense a gap between myself and the others. When working on Gariwang activities, we pushed forward hard without compromising, while we had to moderate ourselves when working on other projects of the organization. This was because—although it was likely the same for any organization—we had to conform to the political views of the organization’s backers.

 

Maintaining a lukewarm attitude toward things that were hard to solve even when pushing forth with a strong and assertive attitude brought the anticipated results: failure, always. I started to harbor internal conflicts regarding what the right methods are.

 

And then it became 2014. The year when regional elections were held. As a member of the Green Party, I was hoping that the Green Party would put up a good fight in the June 4th regional elections. It was then when I received a suggestion to run as the Gangwon-do proportional representative candidate for the Green Party. I turned down the offer several times, but in the end, accepted it.

 

At first, I was satisfied just with the fact that the name of the Green Party was included on the ballot (for proportional representation). But that way of thinking was wrong. As long as I was running as a candidate, I had to do the best I could.

 

Although I had no certainty or expectation of winning, there was something I wanted to do no matter what if I did. I wanted to have power. There is only one reason for this. I wanted the government and the local government to be afraid of the people. So that it wouldn’t be difficult to demand information regarding reckless development, and so that there wouldn’t be people weeping blood from their eyes due to the acts of public servants.

 

‘I’m not the daughter of the candidate, but the candidate herself.’

 

Its lack of funds is a critical limitation for the Green Party, a minority party, in carrying out election campaigns. It was hard to recruit campaign workers, and I wasn’t able to send a single public notice, a thing that is so common. The result was, of course, failure to be elected. (In this election, the regional proportional representatives of the Green Party earned 0.99% of the votes.) But I actually gained hope while campaigning alone. I earned confidence. That I can do it, and that I must change things.

 

▲ Kim Eun-ji campaigning alone (“Korea’s lungs, Gangwon Province’s Forest: Oppose the Development of a Golf Course on Gariwang Mountain. Vote Green Party) ©Kim Eun-ji

While other candidates went around in private vehicles, I rode city buses since I didn’t own a car. Since election laws forbid hanging placards, I had no choice but to go around by foot. I didn’t ask agencies to create publicity signs but bought the material and made them myself. I didn’t even open an election headquarters.

 

People ask whether it wasn’t lonely to campaign alone, but I think there are some merits to it, such as being able to freely schedule campaign events and being able to avoid conflict. Frankly speaking, I had thought only people with money did election campaigns before I myself ran as a candidate. But I enjoyed being in the election without any money, as a candidate. I later confirmed that I had used around 250,000 won [240 USD] for the election.

 

People thought it was amazing that a young woman would campaign by going around alone with a Green Party sign. Many people took me for a canvasser.

 

While receiving business cards the opponents’ side gave me as they said, “I’m the daughter of the candidate so and so! Please consider my father,” I said, “I’m the candidate herself. Please consider me!” and gave them my name card.

 

While campaigning, I was encouraged by the people who cheered me on by saying, “Green Party? There should be more parties like this,” “I’ll vote for the Green Party in the party voting no matter what!” I thought that the foundations for change were laid out from the fact that many people voted for us despite that it was a party that advocated not development or growth but the environment. And I also started to hope that more young people such as myself would become interested in politics and run for elections.

 

Receiving unemployment benefits, taking time to recharge

 

I was also criticized by others in the organization for starting to work there without even having a proper job first. ‘In ordinary workplaces, you can’t do such things. (You don’t know) since you don’t have any experience...’ When you hear such things, it’s natural that you feel intimidated. But I had pride in the fact that my first job was at a community organization. It was a little different from what I had thought, which was that of course community organizations were different from regular offices, and that they should value freedom of speech all the more.

 

But I also received compliments as well. In that I had faith, that I had clear reasons for entering a community organization, and that I was passionate about its activities. Also, because it was work that I liked, my work efficiency was on the better side. They say praise can make even whales dance. I think I could work better since I was praised.

 

I regard the work in community organizations as freer than other jobs. In regular offices, you almost can never object to something, but you can in community organizations. It is also easier to demand vacations or days off. It’s possible to plan things you want and carry them out.

 

But there are also constricting elements emotionally. This is because it is hard to separate what is public and private, between ‘life as an activist’ and ‘life as myself.’ For instance, when the schedule for a rally to solve environmental problems of an area overlapped with plans to travel I had made a long time ago, I had to carry around the guilt and worries all through my trip.

 

The largest problem in working at community organizations is the wages. Even in community organizations that value human rights, it is regarded as natural that only minimum wages can be given to people who work and that the people should work overtime. Actually, I think this problem can be solved only when the consciousness of the citizens change. This is because community organizations are run by the interest, participation, and support of its members.

 

Right now, in euphemistic terms, I can be regarded as a freelancer, perhaps an environmental activist? In simpler words, I’m unemployed. Since I left the organization at the end of July, I’m still freshly unemployed. I had always wondered whether the day would come when I would receive money from the country, and right now, I’m living off something called unemployment benefits.

 

As for now, I’m looking for a new job. Since this is the only thing I know how to do, I probably won’t be able to leave this field and will look for another environmental organization to enter. Still, as a person who hasn’t rested even once, I’m thinking of taking the time to improve myself through this opportunity to recharge and study.

 

Published: August 27, 2014

Translated by Rose

*Original Article: https://ildaro.com/6795

 

◆ To see more English-language articles from Ilda, visit our English blog(https://ildaro.blogspot.com).

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