[Report] "Is Junseok Becoming the Party Leader?" Voices of 2030 in Nowon Sanggye-dong

Lee Jun-seok, a 'zero-term' not even a first-term lawmaker... Surpasses senior lawmakers in various polls
Youth in Lee's hometown Nowon Sanggye-dong show rising expectations
"He voices the 20s a lot... Just that is appreciated"
4050 say "Lack of political experience... Only good for the Democratic Party"

On the morning of the 29th, the area around 'Nowon Culture Street' in Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, the hometown of Lee Jun-seok, a candidate for the People Power Party leader. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Is Lee Jun-seok really going to become the party leader?" "I wonder if he only represents the voice of people in their 20s."

The most notable figure in the People Power Party's 'June 11 Party Convention' is undoubtedly the 'zero-term' non-incumbent candidate Lee Jun-seok. He advanced to the final round in first place. Born in 1985 and aged 36, there is intense interest not only from the political world but also from young people in their 20s and 30s, who are close in age to Lee, about whether he can become the first 30-something leader of a parliamentary negotiation group party in Korean political history.

Lee was born in Sangye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul in 1985. After attending Seoul Science High School, he majored in Computer Science and Economics at Harvard University. At the age of 29, he was appointed to the emergency committee of the Grand National Party, known as one of the so-called 'Park Geun-hye kids,' marking his entry into politics.

On the 29th, young people near 'Nowon Culture Street' in Sangye-dong, Nowon-gu, Lee's hometown, generally expressed amazement at the whirlwind caused by the former Supreme Council member Lee. However, many said they did not know what policies and visions he was preparing for the party leader final round.

Kim, a college student in his 20s, said, "There are many talks about Lee Jun-seok on Facebook and online communities," emphasizing, "I think it's because he somewhat speaks on behalf of the frustrated feelings of men in their 20s." He added, "Some say he speaks intentionally, conscious of votes, but I am just grateful that he talks about these things on broadcasts."

Former Future United Party Supreme Council Member Lee Jun-seok, who passed the preliminary race for the People Power Party leadership as number one, at 'Nowon Culture Street' in Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, his hometown. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

Another young person in his 20s also expressed amazement. He said, "If someone not much older than us becomes the party leader, I think something will change (for us)," emphasizing, "People say 20-somethings don't know anything, but I want to say that 20-somethings created this situation."

Park, a man in his 30s working at a company, does not expect former Supreme Council member Lee to actually become the party leader but expressed a positive view. Park said, "Although he shows high approval ratings in polls, the opinions of People Power Party members might be different, which could be a variable." He added, "The unification of other candidates is also a variable."

Meanwhile, negative views emerged among the 40s and 50s generation. Kim, a self-employed man in his 40s, pointed out that former Supreme Council member Lee lacks political experience. Kim said, "It's good that he is causing a stir and doing various things, but does he really have the qualifications to lead a country's party? Does he have that kind of experience?" He added, "I don't really know." He criticized, "He should have gone through some hardships, but I wonder if he can truly understand the difficulties of self-employed people and the elderly." However, he emphasized, "Still, it is a good phenomenon that a young person is popular in politics."

On the 25th, the People Power Party's first national convention was held at Nurikkum Square in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Candidate Lee Jun-seok, running for party leader, is presenting his vision.

A male taxi driver in his 50s, whom we met at a taxi stand near Nowon Station, identified himself as conservative and pointed out that if Lee is elected as leader, it would be a strong advantage for the Democratic Party and a bleak period for the People Power Party. He said, "Seeing that he passed the primary in first place, I think there won't be much trouble in the final round," but expressed concern, "If Lee becomes the leader, he could lose significant support in conservative regions like Yeongnam." He added, "From the Democratic Party's perspective, they can prepare for the presidential election while watching the opposition party shake."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party will hold a joint speech event today (the 30th) at 2 p.m. at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju, attended by the five party leader candidates who advanced to the final round, as well as candidates for Supreme Council member and youth Supreme Council member, focusing on Honam and Jeju regions. Joint speech events for candidates will be held on the 2nd in Busan, the 3rd in Daegu, and the 4th in Daejeon next month. The final party leader will be decided on the 11th of next month. In the preliminary round, among eight party leader candidates, Na Kyung-won, Lee Jun-seok, Cho Kyung-tae, Joo Ho-young, and Hong Moon-pyo (in alphabetical order) advanced to the final round.

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