From Real Estate to the Park Won-soon Allegation Case... 2030 Turning Their Backs on President Moon and the Democratic Party

Young Adults in Their 20s and 30s Show 'Anger' Toward Moon Administration... Signs of Supporter Defection
President Moon's Approval Rating Drops for 9 Consecutive Weeks... 52.2% Say "Not Doing Well"
Experts: "Youth Disappointment in Government Grows"

On the afternoon of the 25th, participants of the "Candlelight Rally Against the Retroactive Application of Excessive Real Estate Regulation Policies and Nationwide Tax Resistance Movement" held in front of the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation in Jung-gu, Seoul, are shouting slogans. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Some citizens continue to oppose the government's real estate regulatory policies. They criticize the Moon Jae-in administration's real estate measures for applying regulations uniformly without distinguishing between speculators and ordinary citizens.

There are concerns that newlyweds and ordinary citizens are being labeled as speculators. These citizens have been participating in so-called 'real-time search challenges' by raising keywords such as 'Is the country yours?' on portal sites' real-time search rankings, as well as holding rallies and continuing protests. In particular, as anger spreads among the youth, who were considered a core support base, some signs of defection have emerged.

Experts analyze that since the youth had high expectations of the government, recent controversies have led them to lower their expectations and express disappointment.

On the 25th at around 7 p.m., groups such as the 'Citizens' Association for the Relief of Victims of the Retroactive Application of the June 17 Regulations' and the 'Victims' Association of the July 10 Acquisition Tax Retroactive Application' held a 'Candlelight Rally Against Real Estate Regulatory Policies and Tax Resistance' in front of the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation in Jung-gu, Seoul. The organizers estimated about 5,000 participants at the rally.

Citizens holding placards with phrases such as "Trusted the government with housing rental, but got a tax bomb," "Law-abiding yesterday, lawbreaker today," and "Are only tenants citizens? Landlords are citizens too," voiced their unanimous opposition to the "retroactive application of the July 10 acquisition tax."

Participants also performed a 'shoe throwing' act, referencing an incident where a man threw a shoe at President Moon after his National Assembly opening speech on the 16th. They expressed their anger by throwing shoes at an office chair labeled 'Moon Jae-in's seat.'

Additionally, citizens continue their protests through the 'real-time search challenge,' raising specific keywords on portal sites' real-time search rankings. Starting with 'Minister Kim Hyun-mi lies' on the 1st, keywords such as '3040 deceived by Moon Jae-in,' 'Can't live, tax bomb,' 'Moon Jae-in step down,' and 'Is the country yours?' have appeared in search rankings.

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is answering reporters' questions after paying his respects at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the late Mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon, was laid to rest on the morning of the 10th.
Photo by Yonhap News

Moreover, anger among female supporters, which began with controversies surrounding the funeral procedures for the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul, has further intensified. This is due to the lack of effective measures in response to a series of power-related sexual violence cases involving Democratic Party members, including former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung, former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, and allegations against former Mayor Park.

Criticism has also arisen over remarks from Democratic Party figures, including party leader Lee Hae-chan, who shouted "It's not polite" when asked about the party's response to the allegations against Mayor Park, which have been interpreted as secondary victimization. These remarks have been criticized for lacking gender sensitivity.

Signs of supporter defection are also evident in public opinion polls. President Moon's approval rating has declined for nine consecutive weeks, with a significant drop among those in their 20s.

According to a survey conducted by Realmeter on behalf of YTN from the 20th to the 24th, targeting 2,516 voters nationwide, the positive evaluation of President Moon's administration stood at 44.4%. This represents a 0.4 percentage point decrease from the previous week and marks a nine-week consecutive decline since the third week of May, when it recorded 62.3%.

Negative evaluations rose by 1.2 percentage points to 52.2%. The gap between negative and positive evaluations is 7.8 percentage points, which is outside the margin of error. The positive evaluation rate among those in their 20s dropped by 6.9 percentage points to 36.8%, while the rate among those in their 30s increased by 9.0 percentage points to 51.6%, following a significant decline the previous week.

Members of the 2030 political community 'Cheongnyeonhada' are shouting slogans urging measures for youth employment at a press conference titled 'The Incheon International Airport Incident, The Essence is the Lack of Youth Jobs' held in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 8th. Photo by Yonhap News

As a result, voices of criticism toward the Moon administration are growing louder even within the political sphere.

On the 27th, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, posted on his Facebook titled "I hope this administration becomes one that knows shame," stating, "Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun apologized to the public yesterday regarding the 'tap water larvae incident.' But is tap water the only issue this administration should apologize for to the people? Isn't it also shameful to treat all citizens as criminals in the face of soaring real estate prices and to release haphazard and scattershot countermeasures?"

Joo added, "Policies are directionless, and the administration is shaking the national system. The country cannot remain intact. The country is not yours," urging, "It is important to deeply consider why the people are angry."

Cho Hye-min, spokesperson for the Justice Party, said during a National Assembly briefing on the 24th, "Ignoring and avoiding responsibility is not the behavior expected of a president. This contrasts with President Moon's stance at the start of the #MeToo movement in 2018, when he expressed respect for the courage of victims who came forward and actively supported the movement." She emphasized, "Damage to victims continues through statements by current and former lawmakers, and victims who bravely reported are again facing power and struggle. In this situation, President Moon must clearly state whose side he is on."

Experts analyze that the youth, once considered a core support base for the Moon administration, have lowered their expectations due to successive issues such as real estate problems and the controversy over the regularization of Incheon International Airport Corporation (In-guk-gong).

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon told Asia Economy on the 27th, "The youth had the highest expectations, but now their disappointment is growing. There were the In-guk-gong incident, real estate controversies, and the former mayor Park incident. Moreover, although the Korean New Deal policy was enthusiastically promoted, it did not meet the youth's expectations. The government started by advocating for job creation but has shown no results, and these accumulated grievances are now surfacing."

Regarding President Moon's silence on the allegations against former Mayor Park, Lee pointed out, "This greatly affects the female vote, especially women in their 20s and 30s. Women in their 30s were among President Moon's core supporters, but that group is significantly eroding."

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