Why are young voters suddenly turning away from the liberal Democratic Party?
Local election ballot controversy has been recent flashpoint, but perceived arrogance and party's focus on older voters have been eroding support for some time.
Hand-written memos demanding a re-vote of the June 3 local elections are posted inside a booth in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on June 18.NEWS1
The ruling liberal Democratic Party (DP) is losing ground among the younger demographic — spefically, male and female voters in their 20s and 30s — and the pace has been accelerating since the June 3 local elections.
What was once a political divide largely defined by men and women in their 20s is evolving into a broader retreat by younger voters as a whole.
Just weeks after the June 3 local elections, support for the DP among voters in their 20s dropped to 21.3 percent, down 12.8 percentage points from the last pre-election survey in the second week of May, according to a Realmeter poll conducted on June 11 and 12. Support for the opposition People Power Party (PPP), on the contrary, jumped 25.6 percentage points to 59.1 percent.
Voters in their 30s showed a similar shift over the same period, with support for the DP falling 8.4 percentage points to 27.4 percent and support for the PPP rising 11.4 percentage points to 52.5 percent.
The waning support for the DP among young voters was evident in the National Barometer Survey (NBS).
Support for the DP edged down to 27 percent among voters in their 20s and to 29 percent among those in their 30s — which represent dips of 2 to 3 percentage points from the third week of May. The PPP moved in the opposite direction, rising 3 percentage points to 19 percent among respondents in their 20s and a full 8 points to 28 percent among those in their 30s.
Rep. Jung Chung-rae, center, chief of the Democratic Party, and other party leadership bow their heads during an internal meeting held at the National Assembly in western Seoul on June 19.LIM HYUN-DONG
Anti-DP sentiment among younger voters, which first surfaced during the Moon Jae-in administration (2017-22) amid the Cho Kuk scandal, appears to have intensified under the current Lee Jae Myung administration.
Cho, then Justice Minister, faced backlash over his daughter’s illegal preparations for university and medical school admissions, which led to mass protests calling for his resignation.
Even women in their 20s — many of whom actively supported impeachment of PPP-backed former President Yoon Suk Yeol — are showing signs of drifting away from the DP.
"The Cho Kuk scandal, coupled with accusations of real estate hypocrisy involving Blue House officials, left many of my peers deeply skeptical of the DP," said the head of the DP’s regional committee representing undergraduates. "Now even young women in their 20s are turning away from what they see as an establishment party."
Conservative People Power Party lawmakers submit a special counsel probe bill to investigate ballot shortages and election fraud allegations realted to the June 3 local elections at the National Assembly in western Seoul on June 9.NEWS1
Some analysts also argue that the perceived arrogance of pro-government public commentators has fueled resentment among younger voters.
"Young voters felt sidelined on issues such as labor reform, pension reform and housing, regardless of gender," said Park Sung-min, head of the political consulting firm Min Consulting.
“The backlash has been compounded by comments from influential pro-DP voices such as prominent liberal commentator Rhyu Si-min and Prof. Jung Jun-hee, who have branded many younger voters as ‘far-right.'"
Despite the warning signs, the DP has yet to articulate a convincing strategy to win back young voters.
”Interpreting anti-DP sentiment among voters in their 20s and 30s as nothing more than a far-right movement would be a mistake," said a first-term lawmaker. "The party needs to start by listening — understanding why they turned away and what they are looking for.”
A hand-written statement condemning the management of the June 3 elections is posted on a billboard at a college in Seoul on June 9.YONHAP
Some within the DP see the national convention on Aug. 17 as a chance to reconnect with younger voters and bring their concerns back to the forefront.
“Rather than having agendas focused on prosecutorial reforms and adjusting supplementary investigative powers, the convention should center on issues related to marginalized young people and economic growth,” DP Rep. Jin Sung-joon said on YTN Radio on Tuesday.
“The votes of party members in their 50s carry roughly twice the weight of their share of the population, while the influence of members in their 20s amounts to less than half of their demographic proportion,” DP Rep. Kim Nam-hee wrote on Facebook on June 11. "The fact that voters in their 20s and 30s wield so little influence within the party's decision-making structure is a major reason younger supporters are drifting away."
Many within and outside the party believe a quick turnaround is unlikely because of deep-rooted structural problems.
“The DP has become a party that shapes public opinion and policy around homeowners in their 40s, 50s and 60s in the Seoul metropolitan area and entrenched interests in the Jeolla region,” said a first-term lawmaker representing an electoral district in the greater Seoul area.
“It speaks mainly for its 40s-and-50s mainstream base and, as a result, fails to win support from younger generations. The party will probably not start seriously reflecting on the problem until its approval ratings fall even further,” the lawmaker added.
Experts say the DP has yet to grasp the seriousness of its growing problem with younger voters.
“The DP appears to be more focused on internal power struggles ahead of its national convention rather than confronting the loss of younger supporters,” said Jang Seung-jin, a professor of political science at Kookmin University.
“Unless the party suffers a major defeat in the general election two years from now, this pattern is likely to continue.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
