Former student activists have emerged as the core members of Cheong Wa Dae, the National Assembly, and political parties. One third of the 31 first to third level Cheong Wa Dae officials have served time in prison, as have 16 percent (43 representatives) of the current National Assembly members for political reason. If labor and poverty activists are included, then over 70 representatives have activist backgrounds. Eight of the ten members of the Grand National Party's "Towards the People" are former student activists who were expelled from university or arrested.

The mainstream political entry of former student activists took place after the "1987 democratization," and in the case of the GNP, after 1990, with the merging of three political parties. Kim Yeong-choon, who raided the headquarters of the conservative Democratic Justice Party in 1984 and Lee Seong-hon, a Yonsei University "student dissident" became part of the GNP then. In 1996, former left-wingers Lee Woo-jae, Lee Jae-oh, and Kim Moon-soo joined the party. Representative Lee Jae-oh spent time in prison on five separate occasions for anti-dictatorship protests and Representative Kim was one of the masterminds of the 1986 May 3 Incheon violent demonstration.

Representatives Lee Bu-young, Kim Boo-kyum, Suh Sang-sup, and Ahn Young-Keun of "Towards the People" participated in the 1997 merger of the former New Korea Party and Millennium Democratic Party. Representative Ahn, who asserted that representatives elected for over five terms should "step down," served time in prison on four occasions. In 2000, the GNP actively "scouted" former student activists who attended university during the 1980s (the so-called 386 generation), and Representatives Won Hui-ryong, Koh Jin-hwa and Jeong Tae-geun joined the party then.

The Millennium Democratic Party brought in distinguished men out of office during all the elections. Representatives Lee Hyup, Lee Hae-chan, Seol Hoon, Bae Ki-woon, and Chang Young-dal joined with Kim Dae-jung in 1987 in founding the Peace and Democracy Party. During the presidential election in 1988, Rep. Lee Sang-soo, who was the attorney in the Bucheon sexual torture cases in 1986, joined the party and in 1992, reps. Shin Geh-ryeun, Lee Ho-woong, and Jo Sung-joon joined forces.

When Kim Dae-jung declared his political return before the 1996 presidential election, reps. Kim Keun-tae, Kim Hee-sun, and Shin Jae-kwon, the last of the former activists, also joined him. Rep. Lee Chang-bok and others entered prior to the 1996 presidential election, during the founding of the MDP. Rep. Lim Jong-seok, who was behind the 1989 Lim Soo-kyung case, and Rep. Kim Tae-hong, who was arrested for conspiracy of rebellion, entered the National Assembly in the 2000 elections. Rep. Chung Dong-young and Lee Mi-kyung got together during the 1996 elections. The "386 generation" activists Huh In-hwe, Lee In-young, and Oh Young-shik also saw the opportunity to join the National Assembly.

Former student activists also joined the central and provincial governments. Minister of Gender Equality Han Myung-sook was sentenced to four years in prison in 1979 for the Christian Academy case. Son Hak-kyu, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, was imprisoned for a year. Of the various former activists, Yoo In-tae is a first generation activist who was sentenced to death with former Rep. Lee Chul in 1974. Chung Chan-yong, secretary in charge of appointments, had also received a 12-year sentence.

(Heo Yong-bum, heo@chosun.com )