The 'Idaenyeo' Who Shook the 20s in the Presidential Election... Will a Party Emerge to Amplify Their Voice?

'Idaenyeo' Rally Around Democratic Party in 20s Presidential Election
Political Circles Make All-Out Efforts Ahead of Local Elections
"If Disappointing, They Will Leave Again," Female Voters Warn
Experts: "No Immediate Movement, but Potentially Significant Impact in Future"

The voting booth on the first day of early voting for the 20th presidential election / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] After the closely contested 20th presidential election, in which President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol won by a margin of 0.7 percentage points (p), the so-called 'Idaenyeo (women voters in their 20s)' have attracted attention. Contrary to expectations, these voters rallied behind former Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung in the final stages, which is interpreted as having enabled the Democratic Party's strong performance. This suggests that Idaenyeo may have the potential to change the future electoral landscape. As a result, not only the Democratic Party, which benefited from the 'Idaenyeo rally,' but also the People Power Party is hearing calls for policies to secure the support of women in their 20s.

◆Smallest Margin Since Direct Election System Implemented... A Neck-and-Neck 20th Presidential Election

In the presidential election, whose counting was completed on the 10th, President-elect Yoon received a total of 16.39 million votes, defeating former candidate Lee, who received 16.14 million votes, by 0.7%p (247,077 votes).

The 0.7%p margin is the smallest since the introduction of the direct presidential election system in 1987, demonstrating how fiercely contested this election was.

Some suggest that the reason for this nail-biting finish may be the last-minute rallying of young women voters behind former candidate Lee. According to the joint exit poll conducted by the three terrestrial broadcasters (KBS, MBC, SBS) before the counting, President-elect Yoon's support rate among women in their 20s was 33.8%, while former candidate Lee's was 58.0%. Consequently, the overall vote share among voters in their 20s was 45.5% for Yoon and 47.8% for Lee, with Lee slightly ahead.

The vote margin between President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol (left) and former Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung was 0.7 percentage points, the smallest margin since the introduction of the direct presidential election system. / Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding this, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon, who appeared on SBS's election broadcast, expressed surprise, saying, "I did not expect such a close election," and analyzed, "Many women in their 20s dropped out. On International Women's Day, the proposal to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and divert the gender equality budget to purchase THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) likely instilled a real sense of fear among female voters."

◆Political Circles Stirred by 'Idaenyeo' Potential... Full Courtship Ahead of Local Elections

Although defeated in the presidential election, the Democratic Party, which showed an 'unexpectedly strong performance,' is already making every effort to court the 'Idaenyeo.' On the 13th, the Democratic Party appointed Park Ji-hyun, vice chair of the Women's Committee, as co-chair of the party's Emergency Response Committee. Park is an activist from 'Chujokdan Bulkkot,' a group that investigated the so-called 'Nth Room' case involving the production and distribution of digital sexual exploitation materials.

Democratic Party Emergency Committee Chairman Yoon Ho-jung emphasized at a National Assembly press conference that day, "Despite all threats, Vice Chair Park has stood firm and fought against illegality and injustice," adding, "She will lead policies on sexual crimes, women's issues, and from the perspective of socially vulnerable groups and youth."

Young women voters are also responding. On the 11th, Democratic Party lawmaker Kwon In-sook wrote on her Twitter account, "I heard that 10,000 people joined the Democratic Party's Seoul branch online, and 70-80% of them are women in their 20s and 30s," emphasizing, "Women in their 20s and 30s are joining the Democratic Party to change it. They are willingly standing as comrades to ensure the promises of gender equality and unity made during the election period are properly fulfilled."

Park Ji-hyun, vice chair of the Women’s Committee of the Democratic Party’s Election Countermeasures Committee, who first brought the 'n번방' case to public attention, was appointed co-chair of the Democratic Party’s Emergency Response Committee on the 13th. / Photo by Yonhap News

The Democratic Party is not the only party recognizing the importance of the Idaenyeo vote. Within the People Power Party, now the ruling party, there are divided opinions regarding controversial pledges such as the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which face strong opposition from female voters.

Five-term lawmaker Seo Byung-soo of the People Power Party said on the 11th, "Let's reconsider the pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Politics should not divide gender differences through discrimination, hatred, and exclusion but rather present a path to overcome them together."

On the 10th, fellow party member and newly elected lawmaker Cho Eun-hee emphasized in a radio interview, "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family should be elevated to deputy prime minister level to perform its role properly," adding, "Women still need support, and issues such as women's safety, low birth rates, and family problems must be addressed by some department."

On the other hand, People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok pointed out on Facebook, "We are no longer the opposition. We have the responsibility to actively support President-elect Yoon's policies to bring stability to national governance, so please refrain from lightly criticizing or pointing out the presidential election pledges."

Former Justice Party candidate Shim Sang-jung, who completed the race until the end, also received an outpouring of encouragement from female voters. Although Shim finished the election with a low vote share of 2.37%, the Justice Party reportedly received about 1.2 billion won in donations until the early hours of the 10th.

Former Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung holding the disbandment ceremony of the 20th presidential election campaign committee / Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding this, Justice Party senior spokesperson Lee Dong-yeon emphasized, "Due to the fear and anxiety that a gender-equal society might regress, women voters in their 20s and 30s were unable to vote for candidate Shim, but these precious donations carry an apology for not being able to protect her and a desire to move toward a multi-party coalition politics." Although Idaenyeo rallied behind the Democratic Party to block the People Power Party in this election, a significant number of them still support the Justice Party.

◆"To Gain Support, Restoring Lost Trust Comes First," Women Speak in Unison

With the Democratic Party, Justice Party, and even the People Power Party becoming aware of Idaenyeo, political courting of young women voters is expected to intensify further in the nationwide local elections scheduled for June.

However, young women voters emphasized that before supporting any particular party, parties must first restore trust.

A woman in her 20s working in Seoul, Ms. A, said, "Young women voting for the Democratic Party in this presidential election was ultimately the best choice to block the People Power Party, so it was unavoidable," pointing out, "My friends and I felt similarly. Women still do not fully support the Democratic Party."

When it was reported that President Moon Jae-in sent a condolence wreath for the death of the father of former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung, Co-Chairman Park criticized, "It is another disgrace in front of the people." / Photo by Park Ji-hyun, Facebook capture

She continued, "When the high-ranking official sexual misconduct issue broke out, the Democratic Party was no better than other parties in terms of women's rights, even mentioning 'the victim's claims.' Also, the controversy over President Moon Jae-in sending a condolence wreath to the late father of former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung while still holding his title arose. If such behavior continues, women's votes will again drift away," she emphasized.

Another female office worker, Ms. B (27), said, "I felt a sense of crisis because I thought President-elect Yoon's pledges were misogynistic, and I voted for former candidate Lee because I thought the Democratic Party was necessary to check the People Power Party in the de facto two-party system," adding, "If lost trust is not restored, such rallying as in this election will not happen again."

Experts believe that while it may be difficult for young women voters to show clear movements immediately, they could exert significant influence in future elections.

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "During the presidential election, women voters in their 20s showed unexpected rallying, prompting parties to try to attract their support," adding, "Although the local elections are just a few months away, it is difficult for young voters to show clear movements immediately because local elections generally attract less interest from the 20s and 30s age group, and their turnout has been low."

However, he predicted, "If there is a political force that can secure their support in future general and presidential elections, it could have considerable ripple effects."

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