[Report] "Can't Trust Lee or Yoon"... Where Will the 'Floating' 2030 Vote Go?

"No Preferred Candidate," "Heart Not Set" - Youth Vote Undecided
2030 Generation Has Highest Swing Voter Ratio Among All Age Groups
Could Become a 'Last-Minute Variable' Deciding the Presidential Election Outcome

The scene of the university area near Sinchon Station on Seoul Subway Line 2 on the 8th / Photo by Im Ju-hyeong skepped@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "Do I have a preferred candidate? Not really.", "In the end, it's either Lee Jae-myung or Yoon Seok-youl, but I don't like either of them."

On the 8th, one day before the 20th presidential election, young people in their 20s and 30s were still struggling over the presidential candidates. Although the election day was just around the corner, many of them expressed that they were not sure "who to vote for."

The 20s and 30s generation is considered the 'casting vote' generation that will decide the winner of this presidential election. Compared to other generations, they tend to be less partisan, and many remain undecided until the final opinion polls. This means that the election results could change depending on which way they lean.

◆"Both Lee and Yoon are hard to choose" Hesitant 2030 Generation

A 20-year-old university student A, met near the U-PLEX plaza in Sinchon, Seoul, said, "Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate, is embroiled in scandals like the Daejang-dong controversy, so it's hard to vote for him," but added, "Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party candidate, made many verbal slips during his campaign, which caused controversy. I think experience is important for running the government, and in that regard, he is not reliable." This means he does not favor either of the major party candidates.

He said, "Originally, I planned to vote for Ahn Cheol-soo, the People Party leader, but since he withdrew midway, I really don't know who to give my vote to now. I think I will still be thinking about it even at the polling station," he lamented.

The plaza at Sinchon U-Plex where the presidential candidates from both ruling and opposition parties held their campaigns / Photo by Im Juhyung skepped@

Youth responded that 'fairness' is the most important issue in this election.

University student B (24) said, "I was very disappointed watching Yoon Seok-youl debate, but a regime change is necessary anyway," and added, "A Democratic Party president won the presidential election and secured 180 seats in the general election, but instead of serving the people, they were only focused on protecting their own interests. This needs to be corrected this time."

On the other hand, some women expressed resistance, feeling that Yoon and the People Power Party's pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) seemed to provoke gender conflicts between men and women.

20-year-old woman C said, "Although the Democratic Party also had many unappealing aspects in this election, I think the People Power Party often tried to induce gender conflicts such as 'gender division'," and emphasized, "I don't think Lee Jae-myung is perfect, but at least I will vote for someone who at least pretends to care about female voters."

◆Highest Proportion of Undecided Voters in 2030, 'Last-Minute Variable' in This Election

The 20s and 30s generation is considered one of the 'last-minute variables' in this election. This is because they have the highest proportion of undecided voters among all age groups.

According to a survey conducted by polling agency Realmeter on voters nationwide until the first week of March, before the ban on publishing polls, the undecided rate among the 2030 generation was 11.6%, the highest among all age groups. This was followed by the 60s and 70s generation (7.5%) and the 40s and 50s generation (4.7%).

Overall, the 2030 generation is the most fluid across all age groups. Depending on whom they ultimately support, the direction of the presidential election could change.

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate (left), and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, are greeting each other. / Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers

Given this situation, candidates from both major parties are putting all their efforts into winning the 2030 vote.

Candidate Lee focused on women and youth during his campaign in downtown Seoul on the 3rd. In particular, he emphasized women's policies, saying, "Women still feel insecure at this very moment. I will take responsibility for creating a safe country where no one worries about crime."

Candidate Yoon also wooed 2030 voters by holding a "Long live the Republic of Korea" rally on the 1st in the university area of Sinchon, Seoul, where many young people gather.

Experts analyzed that the current youth generation is different from previous ones in that their ideological distinctions are weak, so candidates' election strategies must also change.

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon explained, "The 2030 generation shows significant shifts in voting preferences. A representative example is the phenomenon where 20-somethings who supported the Democratic Party in the April 7 by-election last year later shifted to the People Power Party."

He added, "Today's 20-somethings are hard to categorize by traditional ideological labels like progressive or conservative. They are a 'post-ideological' generation that changes their party support based on their own interests regardless of ideology. As time goes on, voters with this tendency will become the center of our politics, so politicians must keep this in mind."

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