Parliamentary [1/29] Parliamentary Debating Topic : This House supports lowering the voting age in Korea.

[Jinny]

1.29_ parlimentary debating topic.hwp

A. January 29, 2016 Motion:

This House supports lowering the voting age in Korea.

1. The moderator has the right to request proof if an argument sounds implausible.

2. Failure to submit (1) proof or (2) logical arguments will not be accepted.

3. Vague or futuristic assumptions will not be accepted. We are dealing with issues in the present tense. (Ex. Arguments such as, "advanced technology will make it possible" and "we do not need to worry because it will get better" and "we need a better system" will not be accepted as valid arguments)

4. Personal wishes/desires/presumptions will not be accepted as an argument. (ex. "I think it is wrong because companies should treat their employees better" and "I disagree because government should invest more in medical research" will not be accepted as valid arguments)

5. Your stance has to be completely for Pro or for Con.

Discord at National Assembly continues over voting age

Updated: 2016-01-06 23:31:22 KST

With Korea's electoral map still in limbo ahead of a general election in April, the country's two main rival parties have a new focus: the voting age. Ruling Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung on Wednesday rejected the opposition party's proposal to lower the voting age, saying he is not considering lowering the age for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The ruling party's refusal signals that it is concerned about the elections in the capital area, expected to be one of the most closely contested areas with a margin of just a few hundred votes. Kim reiterated an earlier proposal by National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa, who also wanted to lower the voting age starting with the 2017 presidential election and increase the number of elected seats from 246 to 253. On Tuesday, Moon Jae-in, chair of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea had proposed lowering the voting age from 19 to 18 starting with the upcoming general elections,… in exchange for passing a package of economic bills pushed by the ruling party and the president and a compromise on the electoral map.

With lawmakers failing to redraw the electoral map by the end of 2015, when the previous one expired,… the National Assembly is preparing to go to court as a defendant,… for the first time in 51 years. The Seoul Administrative Court is set to take on the case, after a group of candidates filed suit against the National Assembly on Monday, saying the parliament has violated the law by NOT resolving the issue.

Shin Se-min, Arirang News.

http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=186975

'Lower voting age below 18' By Jun Ji-hye

In this photo taken on Apr. 8, members of Asunaro, an organization that promotes youth human rights, rally to call for allowing adolescents' political participation in a street near Hongik University. / Courtesy of Asunaro

17 year-olds can serve in military but denied vote

Are you 18 years old? If so, you cannot vote in any elections in South Korea. You can neither join political parties nor express your views on a certain candidate because to do so is regarded as a form of political campaigning.

These are among the conditions of Korea's voting and election laws which provoke plenty of questions about the political rights of minors. The issue has reignited ahead of the Dec. 19 presidential election.

According to the election law, those under 19 years old can neither vote nor participate in election campaigns. This means young people are prevented from posting any messages to support or oppose candidates on their Twitter or Facebook. "Because minors don't have rights to vote, they cannot participate in election campaigns either both online and offline," said Baek Seung-hun, an official from the National Election Commission.

"It is difficult to control all messages uploaded onto Social Network Services (SNS) because it is too huge and not many people state their age on SNS. But when a case is reported to us, we check the contents to see if it is repeated and intentional. It so, yes, it is illegal," he said.

He explained punishments vary in accordance with how far each case influences the election.

"There will be administrative orders to delete the messages if the case is not that serious. But if it is judged to be a serious case, we can take punitive measures against the person responsible," he said and admitted that no such orders have yet be pursued because of the difficulties involved in confirm‎ing the age of people on SNS sites.

The voting age in Korea was 20 years old till 2005 when it was lowered to 19.

When the Constitutional Court first dismissed a complaint about the voting age in 1997, it said minors are mentally immature, so are unable to make good choices.

Still, this kind of thinking probably continues against regular calls to further lower the voting age.

However, minors do not agree with this idea.

"Adults tend to think adolescents are immature. But I think values and reasoned thinking takes shape during adolescence," said Yoo Ji-yun, an 18-year-old student preparing for a college entrance exam.

"When you are talking about politics, I don't think age matters. Rather, I don't think all adults have perfect knowledge about politics and people don't necessarily have the faculties to make good judgments simply because they are older," she said.

Shin Hye-won, 17, also a student, echoed Yoo by saying, "I think minors have enough ability to think about who they want to support or oppose. We are also interested in candidates and their pledges," she said.

"Minors are part of the nation as well. I think the voting age should be lowered."

Movements

Last month, Rep. Chang Ha-na of the Democratic United Party proposed legislation to lower the voting age to 18 from the current 19, to allow minors to join the election campaign so that they can express their political opinions.

"I proposed two bills to expand the political rights of minors. If you are not guaranteed your rights, you will be isolated in democratic society," the lawmaker told The Korea Times.

"Minors don't have the right to vote, which means they cannot choose their representatives who have great influence on their livelihood," she said. "Also, I think minors should be able to raise their political voices in order to be able to take care of their future and their livelihoods."

Chang claimed lowering the voting age could be the first step toward this.

"Many countries around the world already allow people to vote from the age of 18. The United Nation Committee on the Rights of the Child has also offered its advice, calling for the guarantee of young people's political rights in Korea three times: in 1996, 2003 and 2011," the lawmaker explained.

Actually, calls for lowering the voting age are not just about guaranteeing political rights, but are also related to growing concerns over declining voter turnout.

The turnout of the 13th presidential election in 1987 stood at 89.2 percent but since then, the figure has constantly decreased. The turnout of the 17th poll five years ago was only 63 percent.

Independent Rep. Jeong Jin-hoo, who proposed a bill to lower the voting age before Chang, said, "If the bill is passed, eligible voters will increase by nearly 700,000."

Regarding prohibition of posting messages on SNS sites, Chang stressed that the local election law should be criticized because it is putting back the clock.

"Such actions will only enforce a negative image about participating in politics among adolescents. Then nobody can expect them to be fully aware of what it means to be a citizen even after they become grownups," she said.

The virtue of democracy

Free elections are the proof of democracy in a society, a way for the public to participate in politics.

Aware of this, two lawmakers said in chorus that if minors are able to vote and express their political views, they can learn and experience the true value of democracy.

"In Korea, you can marry if you are over 18 years old. And you can serve in the military for two years if you are over 17 years old. This means the ability of minors to make responsible judgments is recognized in other laws," Rep. Jeong said.

"For example, adolescents are people directly involved in education. If they can vote, they will be able to eval‎uate politicians' educational policies," he said. "It will boost political movements to actively solve educational problems."

Indeed, an education chief election will be held along with the presidential election in December, but young people still cannot choose who will lead their education system.

Rep. Chang emphasized that various types of political participation can be seen as an education process to let the youth properly exercise their political rights in the future as a member of democratic society.

She claimed that "Expressing various views on politics, in particular on SNS sites, is not a subject to be restricted in accordance with a person's age."

"It will eventually be a way of protecting and guaranteeing the human rights of young people as well."

Is lowering the voting age necessary?

There has recently been a discussion on lowering the current voting age. The argument for lowering the age maintains that the other members of the OECD all share the voting age of 18 while Korea does not. Noting the “global standard,” the argument contends that since most of the OECD members observe the limit, Korea should follow suit.

What the pro-change argument fails to recognize is that social and cultural elements differentiate states across the globe; the difference in voting age is thus only natural because of differing social consensus. Hence, no “global standard” can justifiably dictate the uniformity of social consensus.

Korea, therefore, does not have to feel pressured to lower the voting age to 18; it has its own consensus agreeing to the voting age of 19 codified in the civil code. Plus, Japan and Taiwan, the other Asian members of the OECD, also are not lowering the voting age to 18.

Even if Japan and Taiwan show signs of changing the voting age in the near future, determining the appropriate age to vote always remains subject to national consensus, never dependent on international circumstances.

By Choi Si-young, Editing adviser of Yonsei European Studies at Yonsei University

PROS:

Teenagers spend more than half their day sitting in a class room, hearing about what their country is doing, what decisions their government is making, and how those decisions affect them, yet they don’t have an influential voice on those decisions. It’s no surprise that, by lowering the voting age have an opportunity to become more politically aware. A detailed study of voters’ ages and habits in Denmark found that 18 year olds were far more likely to cast their “first vote” than 19 year olds, and that every month of extra age in those years resulted in a decline in “first vote” turnout. Essentially, if you give a 16-year old a ballot, they might just vote. If you give a 19 year old a ballot, they might just lose it in their dorm rooms or try to trade it in for dining dollars. Getting young people to vote while still living in stable conditions (with their parents) may strengthen their willingness to vote as adults.

1. Voter turnout may increase.

2. Young people would be more interested in politics and become more aware of it.

3. More voices could mean more innovation. With more people involved in politics, the next generation may provide new insights and ideas to contribute to the public debate and discussion.

투표권에대한이해도와 쓰임을 높이는게 중요하지 나이낮춘다고투표율높인다고정치에대힌관심을대변히ㅡ는건 아니다?

CONS:

When considering lowering the voting age, one must consider what is really on the minds of teenagers around the country. Although there are some compelling reasons to consider lowering the voting age, there are negative consequences for such an action, as well. First, one must ask if under 18 year olds are at a point where they are mature enough to vote. Minors, according to current laws, are not yet mature enough to take part in consuming alcohol, tobacco products and make other important consent based decisions, they lack the “temperament”. In a sense, is voting any different?

According to the argument, due to their inexperience in the electorate they may also be easily swayed. Some believe young potential voters may be pressured to vote in certain ways due to the political beliefs of their teachers and parents. Therefore, they should have more time and experience to navigate the political landscape, time to craft their own political ideology, not just borrowing another’s. They could lack the independence and critical thinking skills to understand what is in their own best interest. They may find themselves at risk of being manipulated by other’s agendas.

Instead of what is the “cool” thing to do or wear, what your ballot could be the ticket into popularity.

That leads well into the question: are young people informed enough to vote? A democracy requires an engaged and informed electorate to thrive. Young people often are misinformed about the fundamental structure of government, and rarely keep up on current events. Holding off on voting may give them an advantage, by having more time to mature, and gain the adequate perspective to be responsible citizens.

1. Young people tend to be easily swayed.

Teenage years are a time when individuals are figuring out who they are, what they want to do, and what they believe. Because of their lack of experience they are likely to be manipulated by others, according to HeadCount.

2. They may not be mature enough to vote.

At 16 and 17, teens are just getting access to the car, but they are still not trusted to do things like gamble, consume tobacco, and drink alcohol. Plus, they’re just under 10 years from being allowed to rent a vehicle in many places. It puts into question whether they are developmentally prepared to help make important decisions about the country’s future.

3. They are not informed enough to vote.

Teens lack real world experience and do not have a good understanding of how certain decisions may affect a nation over time. High school students would be just learning about how the government functions as they received the right to participate in the election process. Additionally, teenagers tend not to pay too much attention to current events, according to Headcount.

Reference :

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com

http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/lower-voting-age-pros-and-cons/2015/07/18/id/657834/#ixzz3yQ13cy00

참고해보세요

1. [Editorial] Lower voting age -찬성측 입장

Younger voices should be heard louder in politics

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150408000620

고등 학생들 실제토론

2. http://smmi.tistory.com/entry/선거권-연령은-현행보다-낮춰져야-한다-긍정측찬성측입론서

3. http://smmi.tistory.com/entry/선거권-연령을-현행보다-낮춰져야-한다-반대측부정측입론

[Jinny]

참고해주세요
http://www.munhwa.com/news/view.html?no=2015121801070530307001

http://me2.do/IxRrcXSS

[Lucy J. Lee]

자료 올려주셔서 감사합니다. 그런데 고등 학생들 실제 토론 글이 없어졌는지 안보이네요.