Ruling and Opposition Parties Target Youth Until the Last Moment... "Lies" VS "Judgment on the Regime"

Park Young-sun Announces Youth-Related Pledges During Campaign
Oh Se-hoon: Youth Supporters Voluntarily Join Campaign Events

Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor (left), and Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, are posing before the start of the Korean Broadcasting Reporters Club's invited Seoul mayor by-election candidate debate held on the 5th at the Yecheong Hall in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporters Kum Boryeong, Jeon Jinyoung, Park Juni] As the April 7 by-election approaches its final stage, Park Young-sun of the Democratic Party and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party, candidates for Seoul mayor, appear to be focusing on 'targeting youth.' With the support of young voters likely to determine the election outcome, Park proposed pledges such as discounted transportation fares for youth during her campaign, while Oh attracted attention by bringing young supporters onto his campaign vehicle. Additionally, Park continued to frame Oh as a 'liar,' whereas Oh persisted in appealing for a 'judgment on the regime' until the end.

Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, is appealing for support while holding a bouquet of flowers received from citizens during a focused campaign rally held on the 2nd in Namdaemun, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Over the past five days, Park has shown efforts to capture the youth vote. On April 1, during a campaign event in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, she pledged to introduce the 'Seoul Youth Pass' system. This would issue a fixed fare pass to youths aged 19 to 24, allowing them to use buses and subways at about a 40% discount compared to regular fares. At the time, Park explained, "We will establish legal grounds such as ordinances to guarantee basic transportation rights for youth and implement this immediately," adding, "We hope to offer some hope to the younger generation facing triple hardships of employment difficulties, income reduction, and increased living expenses due to COVID-19." Her policies for youth did not stop there. On April 2, during a campaign at Namdaemun Market, she promised to introduce 'half-price data rates for youth,' which includes providing a 5GB monthly voucher to Seoul youths aged 19 to 24. Other pledges include immediate implementation of a 50 million KRW starting asset for youth, expansion of monthly rent support by 200,000 KRW, and the additional supply of 20,000 integrated work-residence youth housing units by 2023.

Park is maximizing opportunities to meet with the 2030 generation. On April 2 and 3, she visited youth housing in Yongsan-gu and Seongbuk-gu, respectively, and conducted several live broadcasts via social media platform Instagram. The day before, she appeared on the YouTube channel of 'Ssin-nim,' a well-known beauty creator.

Oh, on the other hand, is focusing on winning the hearts of the 2030 generation by recruiting young people to participate in his campaigns and giving them opportunities to speak. The youth speech held on March 28 at COEX in Gangnam-gu attracted attention online. At the podium, 37-year-old Mr. Noh said, "Looking at his (Oh's) manifesto, this is not a baseless cry from someone who has never worked but a firm promise from a mayor with real work experience," adding, "I will vote with the mindset of choosing a leader who will develop Seoul." As of April 6, the video of this youth speech has surpassed 520,000 views on YouTube. Additionally, at a campaign in Yeongdeungpo, university student Mr. Shin shouted, "President Moon Jae-in said he would create a country he had never experienced before, but this is the result," and pleaded, "Please let the youth live."

Oh described these youth as a 'joyful rebellion of the 2030 generation.' On April 3, through Facebook, he stated, "I will never forget the cries, grievances, and humble wishes of the youth," emphasizing, "Together with the 2030 youth who are struggling to endure this era of upheaval with their whole bodies, we will surely turn the current 'despair' into 'hope.'"

On the last day of campaigning, April 6, Oh will hold a focused campaign in the Sinchon university district of Seodaemun-gu alongside Kim Jong-in, chairman of the People Power Party's central election committee, and Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party. Park plans to spend two hours from 7 PM to 9 PM campaigning in Mapo-gu's Hongdae Sangsangmadang and Yeonnam-dong's Gyeongui Line Forest Trail, areas popular among the 2030 generation.

Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party appeals for support at a focused campaign rally held in front of Yeongdeungpo Station, Seoul, on the 30th of last month. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

While both candidates targeted youth with one heart, they launched opposing attacks against each other: Park accusing Oh of 'lying' and Oh calling for 'regime judgment.' Park repeatedly labeled Oh a 'liar' in connection with allegations about his wife's land in Naegok-dong. At an online press conference on April 4, she said, "I cannot teach future generations that lying and winning the Seoul mayoral election is acceptable," and during a TV debate the day before, she stated, "Lies cause the greatest confusion in Seoul." A representative from Park's campaign explained to Asia Economy on April 6 that their election strategy is to highlight that Oh is a 'lying candidate who has failed in the past,' enabling as many voters as possible to assess the candidate's qualifications and make their choice.

Throughout the campaign, Oh has solidified his stance on 'regime judgment' against the government and ruling party. On April 2, during a campaign at Kkaebi Market in Yangcheon-gu, he pointed out, "During the four years of the Moon Jae-in administration, polarization in our country has deepened to an extreme level, social conflicts have reached a peak, and amidst this, real estate policies have also failed." On April 4, he reiterated on Facebook, "I will correct the mistakes of the incompetent and arrogant Democratic Party regime." Regarding this strategy, Park Yong-chan, spokesperson for Oh's campaign, said, "We have appealed that national resistance is necessary against the ruthless tyranny of the Moon administration and the black propaganda shown during the election process," adding, "On the ground, we focused on awakening people to the fact that we cannot leave the Moon government's state management as it is."

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