From '70 Won Bus Fare' to 'Yoon Housing Subscription'... Citizens Frustrated with Politicians Who Don't Understand Ordinary People's Lives

Many Politicians Fail to Empathize with Common People's Lives
Yoon Seok-yeol "Could Not Create Housing Subscription Account Due to No Home"
Recalls Past Jeong Mong-jun '70 Won Bus Fare' Controversy
Experts Say "Populist Moves Aim to Win Votes... Political Risks Arise if Flaws Are Exposed"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate, is preparing for a debate at the 2nd broadcast debate of the People Power Party's 20th presidential candidate election held on the 23rd at ASSA Studio in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Politicians' clumsy attempts to win votes during election season have been criticized. In particular, the so-called 'commoner cosplay' that appears only briefly during this period has been pointed out as an act of deceiving voters.

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, also faced such criticism. On the 23rd, during the People Power Party presidential primary debate, when former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min asked, "Have you ever opened a housing subscription savings account?" Yoon replied, "I didn't have a house, so I couldn't open one," drawing criticism. The housing subscription savings account is an account that non-homeowners open to apply for new apartment allocations.

This question was related to Yoon's pledge regarding the military service members' housing subscription point system. However, Yoon's inability to answer the question exposed his lack of understanding of real estate policies, drawing criticism.

The bigger issue was the controversy over sincerity, given that Yoon had been emphasizing a friendly image. His 'public sentiment tour,' which included visiting traditional markets like Bansong Market in Changwon, Gyeongnam, tasting fish cakes, and communicating with merchants, was criticized as nothing more than 'commoner cosplay.'

At a press conference on the 29th of last month, he also empathized with the real estate difficulties of ordinary people by criticizing the government, saying, "The Moon Jae-in administration's real estate policy not only failed to stabilize housing prices but also made it difficult for people to buy, hold, sell houses, or rent jeonse (long-term deposit) homes."

A 25-year-old university student, A, said, "How can someone who has lived a life without needing to know what a housing subscription savings account is understand the lives of ordinary people? Remarks like '120 hours of work per week' are not slips of the tongue but stem from ignorance about the lives of commoners." He added, "It's not about knowing the minimum wage or bus fare down to the last 10 won, but having a general sense of prices and common knowledge is a measure of how well a politician understands the lives of ordinary people."

Earlier, on July 19, Yoon said in an interview with Maeil Business Newspaper, "To develop a game, you have to work hard not just 52 hours a week but even 120 hours a week, and then be able to rest freely afterward," which put his views on labor under scrutiny. Some criticized this as promoting a society of overwork. In response to the criticism, Yoon met with reporters during a schedule in Daegu the next day and said, "Those on the opposing political side are distorting my words." He also explained in a statement that he was "conveying the awareness of issues on the ground as they are."

In 2007, Lee Myung-bak, then the Grand National Party (now the People Power Party) candidate, emphasized his down-to-earth image by eating gukbap at a gukbap restaurant in a TV commercial. Photo by capture from the presidential election advertisement "Yokjaengi Halmeoni" edition.

Politicians who emphasize 'commoner' and 'friendliness' to win public sentiment are not limited to Yoon. During the 2007 presidential election, former President Lee Myung-bak appeared in TV ads showing a simple image eating gukbap (rice soup), and independent candidate Lee Hoi-chang visited Seomun Market in Daegu to greet merchants.

However, citizens criticize these politicians who flood the streets during election season as mere 'image-making' to win votes. Politicians who shouted 'commoner economy' and 'commoner politics' have shown that they do not truly understand the lives of ordinary people.

The most representative controversy is the '70 won bus fare' remark that followed former lawmaker Chung Mong-joon like a label. On June 27, 2008, during a live debate among candidates running for the Grand National Party leadership, when asked, "Do you know how much the bus fare is?" he answered, "About 70 won," causing an uproar. At that time, the bus fare was 1,000 won. This remark was repeatedly brought up and criticized when Chung ran for Seoul mayor in 2014.

Former President Park Geun-hye also faced criticism during a New Media debate on August 7, 2012, attended by Saenuri Party presidential candidates, when asked, "What is the minimum wage?" she answered, "Isn't it a little over 5,000 won?" The legal minimum wage at the time was 4,580 won, and Park, realizing her answer was incorrect, retorted, "Isn't the part-time hourly wage less than 5,000 won?" showing signs of embarrassment, which fueled further controversy.

In the Seoul Jongno district during the April 15 general election last year, a similar situation unfolded between former prime ministers. On January 24, 2020, then Democratic Party candidate Lee Nak-yeon showed awkwardness using a transportation card at a subway turnstile while visiting a traditional market for the Lunar New Year. He eventually used an entrance next to the turnstile with help from those around him. On February 9, former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, visiting a snack bar near his alma mater Sungkyunkwan University, awkwardly asked how to eat fish cakes.

Experts analyze that politicians emphasizing a commoner image is a strategic move to gain votes. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "Voters tend to think that candidates with a familiar image understand people's livelihoods better and will solve the difficulties of ordinary people. Therefore, politicians show commoner behavior to gain more votes. However, if gaps appear due to lack of real-life experience, political risks inevitably follow."

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