Eight Korean-lineage Members in Chinese Communist Party Doubles Demographic Proportion

Of the 2,215 representatives in the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which will be held on October 15, eight are reportedly of Korean lineage. This head count comprises 0.36 percent, which is nearly double the figure for the number of Korean-descendants (2,050,000 people, or .15 percent).

Of them, currently receiving most of the spotlight is Jeon Cheol-su (55, male), the secretary and vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, an equivalent to a political rank of a minister. He is also noted for his alumni ties to Chinese President Hu Jintao and for his background in the Young Communist League of China.

Hong Yeon-hee (43, female), a professor of the People’s Liberation Army’s Arms Controls and Management Studies, and Lee Myeong-seong, an economist and strategist serving as the vice-director for the China Enterprise Confederation, are also aspiring figures. Other notable members include Kim Gwang-jin, the Jilin police chief for Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, and Kim Gye-rahn, a judge from the People’s Court of Ningan in the Heilongjiang Province.

orionha@donga.com