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| Four high school students, who are all 18 years old, cast their ballots for the presidential election at a polling station in Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall, during the early voting period, March 4. Yonhap |
By Lee Hae-rin
Oh Hae-eun, 18, a first-year university student, cast her ballot in the presidential election on Wednesday. It was her first time going to a polling station to vote.
"Going to the polls always seemed like the distant future, but the day has finally come," she told The Korea Times, adding that she was excited that her vote will be counted.
"I feel a sense of responsibility taking part in the democratic decision-making process."
Oh is one of the 2.1 million young voters to cast their first ballots for the next president. The March 9 presidential election is the first to be held since the National Assembly passed a revision bill to the Public Official Election Act in December 2019, lowering the minimum voting age from 19 to 18.
Due to the revision, over 490,000 voters aged 18 are allowed to join the country's voting population, reaching 44.2 million, in time for the presidential election.
Kang Hwi-min, 22, a student in Sejong, also went to a polling station near her home to vote for president for the first time. "I was taught that voting is a fundamental right, so there is no doubt I'll vote," she said. "However, I don't think either of the two leading candidates are qualified to be president."
These young first-time voters show an eagerness for politics, as the participation rate of 18-year-olds reached 67.4 percent in the 2020 general elections, the first to be held after the revision took effect. That figure was slightly higher than the average turnout of 66.2 percent.
However, the young voters expressed disappointment in the campaigns of the candidates and their qualifications.
"As I read in the news about the candidates' incendiary remarks during the race, I thought, 'How could someone like that end up running as the nation's president?' Some candidates seem empty-headed judging by their words and actions," Oh said, calling for the parties to scrutinize their candidates' credentials and qualifications better before electing them as candidates.
Looking at the candidates' pledges, Oh said there was a pretty obvious gender divide. "Yoon Suk-yeol from the People Power Party (PPP) promised to shut down the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, while Lee Jae-myung from the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) appealed to female voters in his last days of campaigning. They seemed pretty desperate to collect votes," Oh said.
"At least Lee from the DPK and Sim Sang-jung from the Justice Party have come up with pledges that matter to running a country and reflect people's needs. On the other hand, I have no words for the PPP candidate Yoon," Kang said.
Kang called for the new government to protect women, freelance workers and part-timers from discrimination and social threats in everyday life. "Also, it should work on increasing the severity of the punishments for felonies including sex crimes and animal cruelty," Kang added.
Oh said, "No matter who becomes the next president, I hope they exhibit more consistency in their policies. The policies on education and the COVID-19 pandemic have changed frequently and resulted in confusion. Also, people who commit crimes, including minors, should be held accountable for their wrongdoings."
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