530,000 Newly Registered 18-Year-Old Voters... "Even If Young," a Key Factor in Ultra-Close Regions

Even 50,000 to 60,000 High School Seniors Expected... Clear Support for Political Parties
Political Issues Accessed via YouTube... High Voter Turnout Also Noted

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Lim Chun-han and Jeon Jin-young] "I don't think the difference between being 18 and 19 years old is significant. I don't know how much one matures (politically) in a year. Of course, we may have some immaturity, but blindly criticizing the lowering of the voting age is not right." (Kim Min-seo, born January 2002)

With the revision of the Public Official Election Act passing the National Assembly plenary session on the 27th of last month, the voting age has been lowered from 19 to 18 years old. Starting from this general election, anyone born before April 16, 2002, can vote. This includes some high school seniors.

The National Election Commission estimates that there are about 532,000 voters aged 18. Among them, about 50,000 to 60,000 are high school seniors. Even a simple calculation of the newly added voters by each of the 253 constituencies shows that there are roughly over 2,000 votes per district.

In the 20th general election, 13 out of the total 253 constituencies were decided by a margin of less than 1% in vote share, making them extremely close races. These constituencies include Seoul Gwanak-eul, Gyeonggi Ansan Sangnok-eul, Gyeonggi Gunpo-gap, Gyeonggi Namyangju-gap, Gyeonggi Goyang-eul, Incheon Bupyeong-gap, Incheon Yeonsu-gap, Jeonbuk Jeonju-gap, Jeonbuk Jeonju-eul, Jeonbuk Jeonju-byeong, Gangwon Wonju-gap, Gangwon Wonju-eul, and Gyeongnam Geoje. In all these areas, the outcome was decided by less than 1,000 votes.

Moreover, for the first time in history, the voter turnout rate among the age group newly granted voting rights was relatively high. According to the National Election Commission, in the 20th general election, the turnout rate for 19-year-olds was 53.6%, higher than that of people in their 20s (52.7%) and 30s (50.5%). This means that the votes of 18-year-old voters in this election could potentially sway the results.

Students showed as much interest in politics as the older generations. Their voting preferences are expected to be influenced by issues closely related to education and culture. Kim Min-seo (18) said, "I hope that with the age of lawmakers getting younger, a public forum will be created where young people and adults can share their thoughts together."

Students not only defined their political leanings as conservative or progressive but also expressed support for specific parties such as the Democratic Party, Bareun Mirae Party, and the New Conservative Party. Shin Hee-min (18) said, "I support the New Conservative Party and Representative Ha Tae-kyung. There was a conflict between players and teams in the game League of Legends (LOL), and Representative Ha showed interest, so I paid close attention." She added, "Unlike others, it seems he pays a lot of attention to our issues." Lim Seok-min (17) emphasized, "The biggest influence on high school students' voting preferences will likely be policies related to the university entrance exam system." She also mentioned that the 'Cho Kuk incident' was a major topic among students.

They commonly accessed political issues through YouTube. Shin said, "I usually click on popular videos on YouTube to check current affairs," adding, "I mainly watch '100 Minutes Debate,' and sometimes 'Yoo Si-min's Alileo' and Hong Jun-pyo's 'Hong Kakolla'." Lee Jong-hoon (17) said, "I watch the news every day and am very interested in politics," and added, "I watch KBS and JTBC on YouTube."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.