Political circle in fierce competition to court young voters

Lee Jun-seok, the new chairman of the conservative main opposition People Power Party, rides a "Ttareungyi" bike, which is part of a bicycle-sharing service run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, to get to the National Assembly from a nearby subway station, June 13, two days after being elected head of the party. He said he has often used the bike-sharing system, and he has not yet hired a driver, even though a vehicle has been provided for him by the party. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

The political parties here are in a fierce competition to appeal to young voters in their 20s and 30s, with less than nine months left ahead of the next presidential election slated for March next year. The practice of politicians seeking to appeal to the younger generations has often been observed in past election campaigns, but policy competition to win young voters' support has recently intensified, especially after the April 7 by-elections and the dramatic rise of 36-year-old politician Lee Jun-seok, who became the youngest-ever chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), June 11.

After the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) crushing defeat by the PPP in the by-elections, in which the opposition took the mayoral posts in the country's two largest cities, Seoul and Busan, many political watchers noted that negative sentiment has grown toward the ruling DPK among people in their 20s and 30s, many of whom voted for candidates from the conservative PPP.

Political watchers also noted that voters in their 20s and 30s, who used to be considered as supporters of the country's liberal bloc, have now become swing voters. The liberal ruling bloc has been losing support from them over its policy failures, especially regarding job creation and real estate market stabilization. In addition, corruption and land speculation scandals involving high-profile government officials and ruling party members have deteriorated positive public sentiment toward the ruling bloc.

Oh Se-hoon, center, the then-candidate of the main opposition People Power Party in the Seoul mayoral by-election and now Seoul mayor, joins hands with young supporters during a campaign held near Sinchon Station in Seodaemun District, in this April 6 photo. Yonhap

Against this background, many politicians have engaged in proposing policies targeting young people, such as promises to improve rewards and service conditions for young men on mandatory military service, to provide affordable housing for young people, and to subsidize start-ups led by young entrepreneurs.

Rep. Ha Tae-keung, a three-term lawmaker of the PPP who declared last week his bid for the party's primary to pick its presidential candidate, is among many politicians who have been promoting their policy promises to young voters.

Ha has been proposing bills related to controversial issues after listening to young voters' opinions. One such issue was an attempt by the Incheon International Airport Corp. to rehire subcontracted workers as regular workers, which raised a fairness controversy last year, especially among young jobseekers.

Rep. Ha Tae-keung, a three-term lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party, declares his bid for the party's primary to pick its presidential candidate, in a live press conference on Facebook, Tuesday. From Ha Tae-keung's Facebook

Saying new regular workers at public organizations and companies have to undergo fierce competition when trying to get a job, Ha proposed a bill aimed at preventing non-regular workers at such organizations from having their status changed to that of regular workers without undergoing equivalent processes as those externally applying for such positions.

Declaring his bid for the party primary to be the main opposition party's presidential candidate, through a live press conference on social media, Ha said, "The public is clearly calling for the times to change." The 53-year-old three-term lawmaker is relatively young among other potential presidential contenders in the opposition bloc.

On the DPK's side, two-term lawmaker Rep. Park Yong-jin, 50, is a relatively young potential presidential hopeful. Park has been appealing to young voters with policy promises for them, while also sending the message of the need for a generational shift in politics. Park has pledged to introduce a volunteer military system to realize an "equal" military service system between men and women.

Rep. Park Yong-jin, a two-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea who declared his bid for the party's primary to pick its presidential candidate in early May, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, June 10. Yonhap

Young people have expressed mixed responses over the young politician's election as the new main opposition leader and the political circle's growing attention to the younger generation.

"Seeing Lee Jun-seok becoming the new main opposition leader and receiving congratulatory messages from President Moon Jae-in and other ruling party members who are much older than him, I felt it was like a young politician representing the new generation has beaten established politicians representing the old generation," said Lee Seok-hee, a 30-year-old man from Hanam, Gyeonggi Province.

"I also expect that Lee would bring a change in the country's politics by presenting a new picture for the conservative bloc, as he has pledged to prioritize capabilities and qualifications when choosing figures to represent the party."

But some others also say although they see the political circle's growing attention to the young generation as a positive change, it is not that they agree with all the proposals brought up by Lee Jun-seok or other politicians.

"Considering that the political circle seemed to be a league of politicians in their 50s, 36-year-old Lee's rise as the main conservative opposition party leader seems to be a signal of political change. But I think we need to be careful not to think that young people share the same ideas as Lee," said Jeon, a 28-year-old man.

Before becoming the PPP leader, Lee issued messages supporting young men and commented on some controversial gender-related issues such as the matter of conscripting women, or a quota system for women in the civil service sector which he said was unfair to men. But his outspoken and controversial comments on gender issues brought criticism not just among avid political watchers but also young women in general.

Rep. Jang Hye-young, a 34-year-old lawmaker of the minor liberal opposition Justice Party, which has long been promoting the rights of social minorities and the marginalized including women, said that Lee often distorted feminism when making such outspoken comments on gender-related issues and he needs to be more careful when commenting on feminism as he now has greater responsibility as the party leader.

Rep. Jang Hye-young of the liberal minor opposition Justice Party speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday, calling for the establishment of a law banning all kinds of discrimination based on gender, disability, age, country of origin or other reason. Yonhap

"When there are many different opinions about feminism, Lee, before he became the main opposition leader, distorted the meaning of feminism by speaking to people as if some radical opinions represent the entirety of the movement. It also seemed he intentionally made such comments," Jang said during her appearance on a radio show of local broadcaster YTN, Wednesday.