Sohee Yang

Sohee Yang is a political activist and social entrepreneur from South Korea, dedicated to advancing youth civic engagement and inclusive democratic innovation. She is the founder of the YOUNAN Movement, a nonprofit that empowers young citizens through civic education, and co-founder of VALID, an action-oriented political think tank that nurtures emerging leaders and agendas for democratic reform.

Her work spans from grassroots mobilization to global policy platforms, having represented Korea or spoken at major international forums such as the United Nations, APEC, the Open Government Partnership Global Summit, and the World Forum for Democracy. Her focus areas include structural reform for youth and women’s political representation, combating social inequality, and exploring and shaping democracy in the digital and AI era, particularly in alignment with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

Over the past few years, Sohee has held roles including policy advisor on youth and gender and political party spokesperson, and led the local mayoral campaign as Chairperson. These experiences have shaped her commitment to addressing entrenched exclusion and polarisation in Korea’s political landscape. Through her organisations, she is building infrastructure for youth civic empowerment and driving a new generation of democratic leadership.

She holds a BA in Global Korean Studies with honors and was selected as the 2019 Commencement Speaker at her university.