293 lawmakers vow ‘Sunfull’ politics

Lawmakers of both ruling and opposition parties have joined a bipartisan campaign to speak and write classy words.

According to Sunfull International Headquarters, a Seoul-based nonprofit organization against bullying and hateful comments online, 293 of all 300 lawmakers have signed the National Assembly declaration of “Sunfull politics.” 

Under the declaration, they have pledged to participate in the Sunfull Movement to encourage and care for other people. They will also make efforts to speak and write refined words and act with a positive attitude in the hope of fostering political harmony. 

Suh Sang-kee of the ruling Saenuri Party and Kim Choon-jin of the opposition Democratic United Party will lead the movement.

The two lawmakers and professor Min Byoung-chul of Konkuk University, who is the founder of the movement, presented a bronze plaque inscribed with the declaration and the 293 lawmakers’ names to National Assembly Speaker Kang Chang-hee in the speaker’s office on Wednesday.

Other well-known Sunfull activists also attended the plaque presentation event. They included veteran actors Lee Soon-jae and Yoo Dong-geun, TV show hosts and celebrities Kim Yong-man and Suh Kyung-seok.

“If lawmakers develop habits of speaking dignified words and behaving with grace, mutual respect will dominate our political climate,” Rep. Suh said.

“The National Assembly has many groups of lawmakers, but more than 90 percent of them have joined a committee for the first time ever in my memory,“ Rep. Kim said. ”I will do my best for the National Assembly Sunfull Political Committee to lead the win-win politics and give hope to the people.”

“I hope the declaration of the Sunfull politics by 98 percent of lawmakers will be the first stepping stone to national unity. It is also expected to contribute to the character education of young people and to help prevent verbal abuse which is the starting point of school violence,” Min said.

Min launched the Sunfull Movement in May 2007 to encourage Internet users to post positive and encouraging comments and drive out slander or malicious replies. Currently, about 6,000 schools and 100 organizations are involved in the movement. As of Feb. 7, the Sunfull Movement website, www.sunfull.or.kr, has 3.7 million positive comments from youngsters across the nation. The movement is named Sunfull to mean “full of sunshine.” The sunflower is its floral emblem.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)