[Youth Politics Report] 70% of 2030 Local Election Winners Say "Not an Environment for Youth to Engage in Politics"

Although the number of elected candidates increased compared to 4 years ago,
representation remains under one-third relative to voters

Editor's Note[Asia Economy reporters Park Jun-yi and intern Kim Yoon-jin] Youth politics is facing a crisis before it could properly blossom. In the recent June 1 local elections, the proportion of elected officials in their 20s and 30s exceeded 10% of the total winners, growing from 6% in the 2018 local elections. However, as seen in the cases of former Democratic Party emergency committee chair Park Ji-hyun, who resigned less than three months after being appointed, and People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, who is facing a difficult path until his term ends next year, the environment for young politicians to grow remains harsh. The "young talent theory" often arises in politics during elections. Yet, the mainstream view in South Korea is pessimistic, believing that the structure for young politicians to grow from grassroots politics is close to zero. Asia Economy examined the difficulties and limitations faced by young politicians elected in this local election through surveys and interviews. We also explored their ultimate goals and the direction our politics should take.

◆70% of 2030 Elected Officials Say "Youth Politics is Difficult"= The political reality felt by politicians who participated in the election was thoroughly centered on "established politicians." A survey conducted by this outlet from June 15 to 20 among 34 young (aged 20 to under 40) elected officials in metropolitan and provincial councils from the June 1 local elections showed that 7 out of 10 respondents (70.97%, 22 people) answered "No" to the question, "Do you think the environment for the 2030 generation to engage in politics is sufficiently prepared?" The reasons cited were lack of organizational power (10 people), a structure centered on established politicians (7 people), lack of funds (6 people), and low trust (2 people), in that order.

The elected officials most frequently pointed to the entrenched structure centered on established politicians (15 people) as the fundamental reason for the low proportion of young politicians. The lack of influence in local and central parties (8 people) was also identified as a cause. One respondent said, "There was a process of unity among candidates during the nomination process, and it was difficult due to the checks from established organizations," while another lamented, "Local voters openly demanded money."

Especially notable were the many responses indicating difficulties in the nomination process. An elected official from the TK (Daegu-Gyeongbuk) region said, "In TK, where getting nominated almost guarantees election, it is like 'catching a star in the sky' for a young person to get nominated," pointing out, "It costs money to move existing local powers and organizations, and there is a widespread perception that young people are still too inexperienced to enter the local political scene already entangled with vested interests."

◆"Political Parties Must Provide Opportunities"= They identified the provision of opportunities by political parties (23 people) as the most necessary factor for engaging in politics. The need for political education (6 people) was also mentioned next. One respondent said, "There was a lack of reference materials for election preparation, so political novices lacked prior knowledge and had to rush to meet document submission deadlines." Another agreed, saying, "I lacked experience as a first-time candidate and had difficulty securing materials." Some also expressed the need for financial and promotional support. One elected official emphasized, "Young politicians, especially local council members, do not have the capacity to actively promote their legislative activities," adding, "Continuous media coverage and promotion of meaningful legislative activities by young politicians are necessary."

◆‘10 out of 100’ 2030 Elected Officials= The June 1 local election results show a significant increase in the number of young politicians elected. Among the total 4,125 elected officials, those aged 20 to 39 accounted for 10.08%, or 416 people. Compared to the 6% (238 people) proportion of the 2030 generation among elected officials in the 2018 local elections, this is a 1.7-fold increase.

However, considering that youth voters under 39 make up 34% of South Korea’s electorate, the achievement is still regarded as modest. It indicates underrepresentation in local councils. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as of last year, the proportion of lawmakers under 39 in South Korea was less than 5%, ranking 118th out of 121 countries, near the bottom.

Especially in major local executive elections such as metropolitan and provincial governors, district heads, and education superintendents, no candidates under 39 were elected, just as in the 2018 elections. These results fall short of the promises made by political parties to innovate nominations ahead of this election. The Democratic Party pledged to expand nominations for women and youth to over 30%, but the actual nomination rate for candidates under 39 was only 11%. Also, although both ruling and opposition parties introduced a pilot multi-member district system to help political newcomers enter, the system was applied only in some areas shortly before the election, failing to produce meaningful results.

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