(Social categories) "Seomin politician"

Here's another politician woving to make sômin policies, Kim Chong-rin of Hannara (Grand Korea) party (Chosun Ilbo). He claims to be of "sômin origins", and has decided to run in the parliamentary elections because he'd be a good representative for the many sômin in Hwasông-gun as he himself is of sŏmin origins. Kim lived in Hwasông until the middle school. He wasn't able to enter the university due to family circumstances, and went to the officer school instead, and was placed in the reserve as a captain (taewi). He spent 10 years as a civil servant in the Defense Ministry, and started a apartment caretaking (kwalli) business. Lately he has been heading an environmental organization (hwan'gyông tanch'e) in his hometown after returning there early this year. (Does that make a profitable business?) So what makes this man a sŏmin (or what is sômin in his origins)? Mainly the fact he was not able to attend university due to the economic circumstances of his family, and also the economic circumstances themselves. Categories at del.icio.us/hunjang: seomin • Koreanpolitics • stratification