한국의 정당정치와 ‘청년정치’의 주변화: 청년 정당 활동가들의 경험과 ‘당내 분투기’

초록

Youth and youth politics are gaining importance in contemporary South Korean society. Such trends are reflected in a series of socio-institutional transformations, including the lowering of age thresholds for voting and candidacy rights, the establishment of youth participation bodies, and the expansion of opportunities for access to public office. Despite these developments, the political representation of youth remains disproportionately low, and the lived experiences of young activists in political parties have been underexplored in both academic and public spheres. This study addresses a critical gap by examining the forms of marginalization experienced by young party activists in their political engagement. To this end, individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 party activists in their 20s and 30s, and the collected data were systematically coded and analyzed using MAXQDA. The analysis reveals that young party activists experience marginalization across economic, cultural, and organizational dimensions within political party structures. Key contributing factors include a lack of financial support, biased and ineffective youth support programs, a hierarchical and exclusionary party culture characterized by senior-led mobilization, and the absence of a formal training and mentorship system. These structural challenges pose substantial obstacles to the initiation and sustained engagement of youth in political activities. By elucidating the practical struggles and their structural underpinnings, this research aims to enrich and broaden the ongoing discourse surrounding youth politics.

키워드