After impeachment, disappointed young Koreans turn away from politics

Lawmakers in their 30s and 40s from both the ruling and opposition parties hold an emergency press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on March 23, 2025 to oppose a national pension reform bill. Yonhap

By Hankookilbo

• Published May 7, 2026 3:40 PM KST
• Updated May 7, 2026 4:10 PM KST

For 22-year-old college student Lee Ji-ahn, a press conference held last March by eight lawmakers in their 30s and 40s from both the ruling and opposition parties remains a clear memory.

“The benefits go to older generations, while the burden falls on future generations,” lawmakers gathered at the National Assembly said as they criticized the national pension reform bill, arguing that the parametric adjustment — raising the contribution rate from 9 percent to 13 percent and the income replacement rate from 40 percent to 43 percent — would make the system worse for young people.

“It was the kind of politics I wanted to see,” Lee recalled. But the cross-party push to represent younger voters was short-lived, soon buried under partisan bickering between the ruling and opposition parties. Lee said skepticism began to grow: “Why does it matter if I vote for one party?”

Kwon Mil-roo, another college student in her 20s, said she was shocked by a filibuster speech late last year by the leader of the main opposition People Power Party. In the speech, the opposition leader said martial law had lasted only two hours, a remark Kwon saw as carrying a subtle defense of the failed martial law attempt.

“Seeing him so confidently say the martial law attempt was not insurrection made me lose hope,” Kwon said. Although she described herself as a centrist liberal, she said she is not a supporter of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

Some 41 percent of people in their 20s and 36 percent of those in their 30s said they do not support any political party, according to a Gallup Korea survey conducted in April. The figures for younger voters were considerably higher than those for people in their 40s, at 23 percent; those in their 50s, at 16 percent; and those in their 60s, at 21 percent.

“To say it is normal for people in their 20s and 30s to have weaker party affiliation is just a general theoretical argument,” said Chung Han-wool, director of the Korea People Research Institute. “In Korea, younger voters have experienced presidential impeachments and felt a sense of political efficacy, which led to higher turnout in recent elections.”

However, young people are once again choosing to remain silent and stay away from politics.

For young Koreans, finding jobs is becoming increasingly difficult with the emergence of artificial intelligence, real estate prices are soaring and the national pension and health insurance systems are becoming unsustainable.

Seeing politicians indulge in bitter partisan fighting to rally their supporters, instead of tackling issues that directly affect people’s livelihoods, has left them disillusioned with politics.

Politics far removed from young Koreans’ livelihoods

Interviewees voiced frustration that both the ruling and opposition parties seem consumed by politically charged, partisan agendas. Across the interviews, the most frequently mentioned words were “policies” at 424 mentions, followed by “real estate” at 128, “regional and rural areas” at 104, “employment” at 45 and “jobs” at 32.

None of the respondents, however, brought up the DPK's main agenda items, including reckoning with the failed coup attempt and pursuing its three major reform drives involving the prosecution, the judiciary and the press.

Lee Ho-yeop, 29, a Reform Party preliminary candidate for the Seongbuk District Council in Seoul for the June 3 local elections, said, “What we want to hear is whether we will be able to receive pensions in the future, and how we will be able to afford a home. But what we hear on the news is the opposition leader traveling to the U.S. and friction between the president and the head of the ruling party.”

The same sense of being excluded from politics came up throughout the interviews, though in different words. Park Yoon-soo, 35, said people in their 20s and 30s are not represented in parliament. Kim Yeon-woo, 22, said voting in an election did not feel likely to change anything personally.

Lee Sun-woo, a political science professor at Jeonbuk National University, said major parties are riding the wave of political polarization and becoming absorbed in partisan fights aimed at hard-line supporters and broad ideology-driven narratives, a trend that is accelerating the depoliticization of people in their 20s and 30s.

“Both parties are intent on amplifying the voices of die-hard supporters, who tend to prefer confrontational politics over pledges and policy delivery. As a result, they are neglecting voters in their 20s and 30s, who have lower turnout rates,” he said.

“Younger voters then come to believe that their voices cannot be represented through the two major parties and stop showing up at the polls, creating a vicious cycle.”

The bankruptcy of political efficacy

Paradoxically, the aftermath of two successful presidential impeachments — that of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017 and former President Yoon Suk Yeol in 2025 — appeared to have helped push many people in their 20s and 30s away from party politics. Their political apathy is not rooted in indifference, but in disillusionment: They took part in protests, helped bring about changes in power and came away feeling that little had changed.

“Buying a home used to be more affordable when I was in my 20s. Now, a home in Suwon costs 1 billion won ($681,000),” said Kim Sung-jin, 37. He said he is not willing to vote this time because he believes nothing will change no matter who gets elected.

Kim Nam-hyuk, a claims adjuster in his 30s living in Gangwon Province, also expressed little faith on either side. “I don’t really trust either the ruling or opposition parties, so I just hope they lower taxes,” he said.

“The same thing repeats every time. The person I supported, once elected, does nothing. Then supporters of the other side point fingers and say, ‘You voted them into office, and look at this,’” said Lee Sun-jae, 22. “I now find myself falling into defeatism, thinking, ‘It will be the same no matter who takes charge.’”

Overall, respondents appeared disappointed by what they saw as conservative ineptitude, marked by presidential impeachments and liberal failures in office, particularly soaring real estate prices.

Everyday policies young Koreans can feel

Some respondents, however, said they had felt a measure of political efficacy, partly because the pragmatism advocated by the Lee Jae Myung administration appears to align with the kind of politics many people in their 20s and 30s prefer.

Gallup Korea polls show that 45 percent of people in their 20s and 59 percent of those in their 30s believe the president is doing a good job, figures considerably higher than their approval ratings for the DPK, which stand at 27 percent and 35 percent, respectively.

Kim, 35, a former resident of Seoul’s Seongdong District, said district chief Jung Won-oh, who is now running for Seoul mayor, frequently sent residents text messages about emergencies and policy updates. “It didn’t feel like they were being sent out just as a formality. I could tell thought had gone into them,” Kim said, adding he plans to vote for Jung in the upcoming Seoul mayoral election, but not in other district or city council races.

A 27-year-old broadcasting company employee surnamed Kim cited the government’s “credit pardon” policy as an impactful measure under the current administration.

“Preparing to become an announcer cost a lot of money, so I had no choice but to take out loans. But even a one-day delinquency left a record, making it impossible for me to get a loan even from a secondary financial institution,” Kim said.

Kim said the policy had a direct impact. “Once the delinquency record was erased, the credit rating improved, making it possible to get a credit card,” Kim said.

Jung Ye-won, 21, said stock prices have risen sharply as various policies by the current administration have helped ease at least part of the Korea discount, the chronic undervaluation of Korean stocks.

Others, however, expressed concerns with cash handout policies such as livelihood support payments and relief payments for those hit by high fuel prices. “Populism only fuels inflation,” said Kang Tae-yang. Kim Nam-hyuk, meanwhile, said he worries whether his generation will be able to repay the debt being accumulated by the current administration.

'Young people, who are supposed to be the future, are struggling'

Younger generations said they wanted politicians to focus on real-life issues such as jobs, real estate and the decline of rural regions.

“Young people, who are supposed to be the future, are struggling. That makes me think the order of priorities is wrong when jobs for older people and support packages for middle-income households are discussed first,” said Lee Na-young, who is in her early 20s. “Our generation can’t afford a house.”

Ki Eun-jae, who lives in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, said the decline of rural areas is something politics can help address. Oh, an active-duty service member, recalled how difficult it was to find a part-time job before he enlisted.

“I wish politicians would think more seriously about how young Koreans can find jobs,” he said.

This article from the Hankookilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.