Sim Sang-jung

About

South Korean politician and labor rights activist who led the Justice Party from 2015 to 2017 and again from 2019 to 2020. She was a candidate in the 2017 South Korean presidential election, representing the Justice Party. She ran again in 2022 and finished third our of five. She is a member of the 21st National Assembly. 

Before Fame

She got her bachelor's degree in education from Seoul National University, with aspirations of becoming a history teacher. Her passion for labor rights activism began when she worked at a cassette tape factory and was fired for mobilizing workers to ask for better pay and meals. In 2004 she was first elected as a member of the Democratic Labor Party. 

Trivia

In 1985 she was on the country's "most wanted" list for instigating labor strikes, where she remained for nine years. She was sentenced to 1.5 years imprisonment for "instigation of mass harm" and "instigation of arson," but served a two-year suspended sentence. She identifies as a feminist and was the only major presidential candidate to openly support LGBTQ+ rights in South Korea. She is active on social media, with 700,000 followers on her sangjungsim Twitter. 

Family Life

During the time she was on the most wanted list, she married Lee Seung-bae, a fellow activist. They have one son named Lee Woo-kyun. She has a white dog. 

Associated With

Yoon Suk-Yeol is the current president of South Korea.