Elections Left with Only Gender Conflicts Without Social Discourse [Akyung-Dongguk University Politicus Lab Joint Project③]

The 20th presidential election was the first to exhibit characteristics of a gender-based electoral divide. Male voters in their 20s supported candidate Yoon Seok-yeol at 58%, while backing candidate Lee Jae-myung at 36%. Conversely, female voters in their 20s showed the exact opposite result. It is rare to find such a large gap in support rates between men and women of a specific generation in past elections. Why did this phenomenon occur?

Let us recall the final TV debate held on March 2, hosted by the National Election Commission. Although the debate topic was ‘social issues,’ it attracted a high viewership rating of 33.2%. As with the two previous debates, negative campaigning unrelated to the topic unfolded. However, the most heated discussion that stayed on topic was about ‘gender conflict.’ The ‘gender conflict’ debate intensified over two months following a seven-character post on candidate Yoon Seok-yeol’s Facebook page on January 7 calling for the ‘abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.’ Candidate Yoon argued that men’s and women’s issues should not be collectively pitted against each other but addressed as individual problems to find solutions. He also emphasized that since the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family had fulfilled its historical role, a new government agency was necessary. Candidate Lee criticized this as gender division and pledged to maintain the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

The Moon Jae-in administration triggered the gender conflict. Some youth entrepreneurship support programs under the government awarded more bonus points to women than to people with disabilities. Additionally, incidents such as the ‘Me Too’ movement and the ‘Gomtang restaurant sexual harassment case’ increasingly portrayed men as potential perpetrators. Ironically, President Moon Jae-in, who proclaimed himself a feminist, did not comment on the cases involving Ahn Hee-jung, Oh Keo-don, and Park Won-soon. While addressing women’s inequality and enhancing their rights remains a long-standing societal task, for young people in their 20s and 30s who have never received any special privileges simply because they are male, this has become a difficult-to-understand reverse discrimination and unfair situation.

The gender conflict surrounding the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is expected to lead to a second round of political strife over amendments to the Government Organization Act even after the election. If the issue of abolishing the Ministry is simply understood as gender division, this debate will be difficult to resolve. It is essential to properly grasp the root of the problem consciousness among the 2030 generation of youth who strongly reject the ‘distorted feminism’ that prevailed during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration. Only then can we move beyond the achievements and limitations of the Ministry and approach new alternatives.

The public hoped that policies on low birth rates and an aging society, climate change and environmental issues, and national unity overcoming ideological excesses would be deeply discussed under the ‘social issues’ theme. Unfortunately, no candidate presented forward-looking discourse. Even the welfare issues that were hotly debated in previous presidential elections passed without major contention. While there is a social consensus that ‘universal welfare’ and ‘selective welfare’ are not matters of right or wrong but should be realized in a mixed form depending on the type of welfare, the welfare debate became dull as candidate Lee distanced himself from the Democratic Party’s universal welfare line. The ‘basic income’ issue, expected to be the hottest topic early in the election, also disappeared as candidate Lee stepped back.

Unlike previous elections, education policy was the least discussed topic. In the 17th presidential election when Lee Myung-bak was elected, ‘excellence’ versus ‘equalization’ was a major philosophical issue in education. This was possible because of Lee Myung-bak’s pledge to establish autonomous private high schools and specialized high schools. However, in this election, the two candidates’ new education-related pledges were very sparse. They only stated their positions on ongoing social controversies such as the expansion of university entrance exams, abolition of autonomous private high schools, elimination of academic achievement evaluations, and introduction of a high school credit system. Sensitive topics like pensions and labor were avoided as each candidate calculated votes from their respective support bases.

The election, which left only gender conflict without social discourse, has ended. Our society remains confused by numerous conflict issues. Intense debates and discussions are necessary to find the right path. It is hoped that many national tasks requiring social public discussion will be sufficiently addressed by the transition committee.

Ki-jae Lee, Adjunct Professor at Dongguk University

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