Shin Soo-Yeon
President Shin Soo-Yeon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of the Republic of Cheonghae | |
| Assumed office 1 February 2024 | |
| Preceded by | President Kim Hanwi |
| Member of the 31st National Assembly | |
| In office 1 February 2020 – 1 February 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 January 1994 Hanoul, Cheonghae |
| Political party | Justice Citizens Party (2017-present) |
| Education | Seongja-Gwan University |
| Military service | |
| Years of service | 2015 - 2016 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
Shin Soo-Yeon is the 32nd president of Cheonghae. She served as the 31st member of the National Assembly from 2020 to 2024 and began her presidency upon the end of her term as a member of the National Assembly after being elected in the 2023 presidential election. She is also the eldest daughter of the 28th president, Seo Yoon-Hee.
Early life
Shin Soo-Yeon was born in Hanoul in 1994 to a father, Shin Jeong-Min, and a mother, Seo Yoon-Hee. Both Shin Jeong-Min, a justice of the Supreme Court, and Seo Yoon-Hee, a lawmaker, held considerable social influence and financial power, so Shin Soo-Yeon went to international school and received a higher education early on. At school, Shin Soo-Yeon was evaluated as a model student with an active and sincere personality. At an international school where top-ranked students go on to study, Shin Soo-Yeon maintained her excellent academic performance and served as a student council official and president of the student council.
However, Shin Soo-Yeon stayed under the shadow of a public perception that she was the "daughter of the president" rather than her own identity or name. Her mother, Seo Yoon-Hee, was elected as the 28th president in 2008, served a second term, and served as president until 2016. Shin Soo-Yeon tried not to reveal her mother and family background, but President Seo Yoon-Hee's power influenced surrounding perceptions and attitudes toward Shin Soo-Yeon, and the school's special treatment of Shin Soo-Yeon. Shin Soo-Yeon recalled her school days, "Almost everyone looked at me as the daughter of the president, not as a student Shin Soo-Yeon. This created a wall between me and the people around me, making me unable to easily reach other friends."
Political career
After finishing her university and military service, Shin Soo-Yeon ran as a parliamentary candidate for her mother's party, the Justice Citizens Party, at the offer of people around her and her family. Shin Soo-Yeon was comfortably elected as a lawmaker for Hanoul's district and began her political career in the National Assembly in 2020.
Shin Soo-Yeon tried to be free from her mother's influence while serving as a member of the National Assembly. Shin Soo-Yeon proposed the most new bills or amendments in the 31st National Assembly and showed a conference attendance of more than 90 percent. At the same time, she also showed her support for an independent counsel bill to investigate allegations of irregularities by Jeong Jin-Hwan, one of the political confidants of Seo Yoon-Hee.
Thanks to her fierce efforts and refusal to ignore the corruption of her family's close associates, Shin Soo-Yeon received a lot of support from the public. Finally, when she was old enough to run for president, the Justice Citizens Party put Shin Soo-Yeon as its 32nd presidential candidate. However, the prevailing view is that the influence of Seo Yoon-Hee and her aides was stronger than Shin Soo-Yeon's personal activities and efforts.
In the 32nd presidential election in November 2023, Shin Soo-Yeon won the presidency, beating the runner-up, Han Eui-hyun, by 20 percent. And in 2024, Shin Soo-Yeon began her term as president upon the end of her parliamentary term.