Progressive South Korean Lawmaker Listed Among Time’s Top 100 Emerging Leaders

This image shows Rep. Jang Hye-young of the Justice Party. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – Jang Hye-young, a novice female lawmaker with the progressive minor Justice Party, has been listed among the Time magazine’s “100 Next” emerging leaders for 2021.

The 34-year-old lawmaker made the annual Time list in the advocates category, out of the total five categories that also include artists and leaders.

She was the only South Korean on the list featuring “100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future,” according to the magazine’s website on Wednesday.

“Jang has already made her mark within the progressive Justice Party, pushing through legislation that safeguards welfare services for retirees with disabilities,” the magazine noted.

“Last year, she was elected one of South Korea’s youngest-ever lawmakers at the age of 33,” the magazine highlighted.

Time also shed light on Jang’s ongoing efforts to enact a law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as her promotion of disability rights and gender equality.

Last month Jang drew headlines after she stood up against sexual harassment by the then party leader Kim Jong-cheol, which the magazine also mentioned. Kim subsequently admitted to the incident and stepped down.

Before Jang was elected to the National Assembly last year, she was known for her influential documentary film “Grown Up,” released in 2018.

The documentary revolves around a shared life between Jang and her autistic younger sister who had just come out of the rehabilitation facility where she spent most of her life.

“Rep. Jang’s activities to speak up for minorities and her leadership promoting (social) diversity seem to have grabbed attention,” the party said in a press statement.

(Yonhap)