By Jung Min-ho
Faced with the worst job market and frustrated with a bunch of old politicians who hardly represent the people’s wishes and needs, Korea’s young voters were right to be angry.
Many people in their 20s and 30s, the generation that is usually considered indifferent to politics, cast their ballots this time in Wednesday’s general election in which the ruling Saenuri Party lost its parliamentary majority.
According to the National Election Commission, voter turnout in the election reached 58 percent, marking the highest percentage of eligible voters casting ballots for a general election in 12 years. The high turnout was mainly attributable to increased voting by those in their 20s and 30s.
The commission did not reveal the details of the results by age. However, according to exit polls conducted by KBS, the turnout of people in their 20s was 49.4 percent, a major leap from the 36.2 percent in the general election of 2012. That of thirtysomethings was 49.5 percent, up from 43.3 percent. On the other hand, the turnout of voters in their 50s and 60s changed very little.
Many say they headed to the polling stations to express their anger, largely aimed at the ruling party and the government behind it.
“For me, this election was all about getting rid of the wrong answer: the Saenuri Party,” said a 30-year-old man surnamed Kim. “Frankly, I can’t even remember the politician I voted for. I just voted against the ruling party.
“The current president is from that party and it has the most seats at the National Assembly. But it has never delivered many of the things it promised to young people. No more excuses. I’m done with it.”
Kim said he is not a big fan of the opposition parties, either. “But at least I don’t have many reasons to hate them yet,” he said.
A 23-year-old Seoul resident, surnamed Park, said the main reason she voted for a candidate from the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) was the party’s pledges to create jobs and help jobseekers.
“I think many of my peers share frustrations about the job market. The candidate of my district, who is now a lawmaker-elect, seemed to care about the issue,” Park said. “I don’t like the MPK, but I wanted to see change.”
The stronger-than-expected voice of young voters is expected to push policymakers to reflect their needs in the upcoming National Assembly, which will begin its four-year term on May 30.
Job creation is the most serious issue for many of them. According to Statistics Korea, Friday, the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 29 was 11.8 percent last month, the highest youth unemployment rate for March since the agency started collecting related data in 1999.
The issue stretches beyond just the number of jobs; many of those who are employed worry about job stability. Surveys show that an increasing number of workers in their 20s end up with low job security, which many believe is the chief cause of the nation’s declining marriage rate as well as low birthrate.