Lee Jae-myung One Step Ahead, Targeting Elderly and Women 'Vulnerable Support Groups' Voter Sentiment

Visit to Daehan Senior Citizens Association and Gwangbokhoe on the 1st
Accelerating Livelihood Exploration... Strengthening Pledge Clarity
National Skinship to Overcome Unfavorability

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Koo Chae-eun, Jeon Jin-young] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, is visiting the Gwangbokhoe and the Korea Senior Citizens Association to target the elderly population. With the People Power Party's final candidate selection day (the 5th) approaching, he aims to capture the 60+ age group, which is weaker compared to the 40s and 50s, while showcasing his policy capabilities to take the lead on key issues. This is a strategic move to shake off the accumulated image of a "fighter" and "unfavorable" during the primary and strengthen public engagement.

On the afternoon of the 1st, Lee will visit the Gwangbokhoe located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. There, he plans to emphasize the need to enhance respect and support for independence activists and their descendants. He will then visit the central office of the Korea Senior Citizens Association in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to propose policies aimed at alleviating poverty and other old-age anxieties. Detailed plans for senior-tailored policies are also expected to be announced. This livelihood exploration schedule is his third field visit following his visits to Sinwon Market in Gwanak, Seoul (on the 27th of last month) and Sangam Basketball Court (on the 31st), after the presidential candidate selection.

Lee has shown weaker support among those aged 60 and above compared to the People Power Party candidates. According to a WinG Korea Consulting survey conducted on the 23rd-24th of last month (targeting 1,024 voters aged 18 and over, with a 6.6% response rate, a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, using wireless ARS with 100% mobile phone virtual numbers, and weighted by gender, age, and region based on the January 2021 Ministry of the Interior and Safety resident registration population data), 57% of voters aged 60 and above preferred former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl over Lee in a hypothetical matchup, while Lee garnered only 34.8%. The gap reached 22.2 percentage points. In a hypothetical matchup against Representative Hong Joon-pyo, 48.2% of voters aged 60 and above supported Hong, while 36.5% supported Lee (a gap of 11.7 percentage points).

Separately, Lee is also strengthening the clarity of his pledges for vulnerable groups. In August, he announced the "Five Major National Care Responsibility Policies," stating that "we will implement a national responsibility system for care covering the elderly, patients, disabled, children, and infants." Along with this, he pledged to expand home nursing and home medical services nationwide and to consider introducing rehabilitation benefits into the long-term care insurance for the elderly.

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