I visited the Vegan Festival held in Seoul. It was an area I’d been interested in, and I went as an outing to show support while following candidate Kim Dong-yeon’s schedule. While the major party candidates mainly mobilize party members to show strength or focus on spending money by providing events for campaign volunteers, candidate Kim Dong-yeon is creating a new model by minimizing resource waste under the concept of ‘eco-friendly campaigning’.

I learned that taxpayer money, in the form of national treasury subsidies, provides over 100 billion won in support for each party’s election expenses. I was angered by the uncomfortable truth that election campaigns, which leave behind massive pollution and waste, are funded by my own taxes. I disliked that my taxes were being used for those who created such legislation, but I also felt the wasted time of party members was too precious—standing in the cold streets shouting slogans, forcing smiles, and holding picket signs just to earn a day’s pay. This presidential election, regardless of who wins, will inevitably divide the people, and the National Assembly will continue its conflicts through rushed legislation and stalemates. It’s long past time to break the old political framework that has persisted for over 40 years, yet the cowardice and inertia of no one stepping forward first is nothing but heartbreaking.

At times like this, I wonder what Jesus would have done. Would He have taken the hands of the Pharisees and Sadducees, urging them to stop fighting and pray together? Would He have appealed tearfully to the privileged class, telling them to love their brothers and sisters and practice God’s love? I wonder what words Jesus is speaking to the presidential candidates at this very moment.