"Reflection," "Sorry" Despite Lee Jae-myung's Desperate Efforts to Win Votes... 20s and 30s Indifferent

Lee's 2030 Support Rate Remains Stagnant
"I Reflect," Calls for Reform with a Deep Bow
"Gender Discrimination Still Severe," Targets Female Voters
Experts Say "Basic Income and Disaster Relief Unpopular Among Youth"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is responding to reporters' questions on the afternoon of the 24th at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding the collective resignation of key party officials. / Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is making relentless efforts to win the youth vote, but he continues to struggle. In various opinion polls, he is trailing behind his rival, Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party, especially showing weakness among those in their 20s and 30s.

Both ruling and opposition parties are equally focused on courting the youth, who have emerged as the casting voters in this presidential election, but Lee’s intensified courting of the 20s and 30s recently highlights a painful reality.

◆ Tried to attract Hong’s support base but failed to gain votes

Lee began actively targeting the youth vote starting from November 5, when Hong Joon-pyo was eliminated in the People Power Party’s primary and Yoon was confirmed as the final candidate. He made consecutive moves to attract the votes of people in their 20s and 30s, who were considered Hong’s support base.

One notable example was when Lee shared a post from a male-oriented online community on his Facebook page. The post cited 'real estate policies' and 'feminism' as reasons why men in their 20s and 30s turned away from the Moon Jae-in administration, and expressed that if feminism was distanced from, they would support Lee. Lee encouraged his followers to "read it together" by sharing this post.

While Lee expressed his willingness to actively communicate with the youth, the issue was 'women.' Some criticized Lee for sharing an anti-feminist message, saying that women in their 20s and 30s were turning away from him.

Women responded with comments like, "Does Lee Jae-myung only care about male votes?" and "Sharing such posts means giving up on half of the 20s vote, which is women." Although he said he would listen to the youth’s voices, critics pointed out that he deepened the gender conflict issue, which is the most sensitive topic for young people.

Recent polls also show Lee’s support among the youth is low. According to a Realmeter survey commissioned by YTN conducted on November 22-23 with 1,011 voters nationwide, Lee’s support among those in their 20s was 23.7%, failing to reach even 30%. Support among those in their 30s was 29.4%. These figures lagged significantly behind Yoon’s support rates of 42.0% for the 20s and 35.1% for the 30s.

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is performing a deep bow of apology at the meeting to promote livelihood and reform legislation held on the 24th at the central party office conference room in Yeouido, Seoul. / Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Mentioning 'Cho Kuk responsibility' and even bowing deeply... Can he reverse the support deficit?

Lee’s sense of crisis amid his poor poll numbers is evident in his recent actions. Regarding the Daejang-dong development special favor allegations, Lee, who had maintained that he "did nothing wrong," bowed his head on November 20 via Facebook, saying, "I was insufficient in reading the public’s disillusionment." At the campaign committee meeting on the 22nd, he reiterated his apology, saying, "I admit that saying I am not responsible was itself a mistake. That itself is my responsibility."

He also seemed aware of criticism from women who say he only listens to men’s voices, stating, "Looking at society as a whole, it is clear that women are seriously discriminated against, have to endure gaps, and suffer tremendous disadvantages," and added, "To correct this, intentional efforts by the community are absolutely necessary."

At the 'Livelihood and Reform Legislative Promotion Meeting' held on the 24th, he performed a deep bow and said, "I apologize once again for not being more sensitive to the painful feelings and difficulties of the people. I will deeply reflect and repent," pledging a full-scale renewal and change of the party.

Within the Democratic Party, he also addressed the previously taboo topic of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s scandal. In an interview with YTN, Lee said, "If wrongdoing is confirmed, one must naturally take responsibility," emphasizing, "Those with authority must take greater responsibility for the same actions."

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate (right), and Song Young-gil, the Democratic Party leader, are greeting each other ahead of the MBN General Programming Channel 10th Anniversary and 27th Anniversary National Report Conference held on the 23rd at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. / Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ To win back youth hearts, sincerity matters more than clumsy policies

However, many still find it difficult to trust Lee and the Democratic Party. After suffering a crushing defeat in the April 7 Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, the party leadership collectively resigned and vowed reform, but the changes have not been significant enough to be felt.

There are also opinions that Lee’s recent declaration of party reform is not highly anticipated. Office worker Lim (29) criticized, "The party officials resigned collectively claiming reform, but what does that have to do with the public? It feels like they are wasting effort on something no one cares about and that is useless." Earlier, key political appointees such as the party secretary-general, policy committee chairman, and chief spokesperson announced their resignations on the 24th, pledging to lead party reform.

Lee’s quick introduction and subsequent withdrawal of various policies?such as a total cap on restaurant permits and additional nationwide disaster relief payments?right after being confirmed as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate is also cited as a point that failed to build trust.

One netizen commented, "They put out policies, then pull them back saying ‘these are just ideas, not pledges’ when public opinion turns negative. Who would feel sincerity seeing that? It looks like there’s no proper review or conviction to achieve anything."

Experts analyze that the youth are not easily impressed by cash handouts or populist policies. Professor Lee Jun-han of Incheon National University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy said, "Young voters once enthusiastically supported Lee, but now the situation is completely reversed. There is disappointment with the Democratic Party as a whole due to Moon Jae-in government’s real estate policies and double standards, but that alone does not explain it," adding, "Various allegations against Lee, including the Daejang-dong scandal, morally questionable incidents, and how he has responded to them have accumulated to create the current risk."

He continued, "Cash support like basic income and disaster relief payments are not particularly welcomed by the youth. They have a strong perception that when they become 40s and 50s, they will have to repay that money," and added, "Ultimately, there is no special reason or attraction for the youth to support Lee, and if this continues, it will be difficult to win the youth vote."

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