Park Gu-yong, a professor at Chonnam National University and head of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)’s education institute, recently stated that when it comes to voters in their 20s and 30s, “The question is not how to bring them to our side, but how to turn them into a minority.” He added, “We need to let them wither away on their own and isolate them.”
He further claimed that young voters “do not engage in reasoning but only think in calculations,” implying they prioritize personal interests over deeper reflection. In December, Park previously sparked controversy by urging young men in their 20s and 30s to turn out in equal numbers to women at pro-impeachment rallies against President Yoon Suk-yeol. He later apologized for the remark.
Until recently, rallies demanding Yoon’s impeachment were largely attended by middle-aged and older participants. However, younger voters have begun making their presence felt, and opposition to the impeachment has emerged even on university campuses—once considered strongholds of pro-impeachment sentiment. This shift challenges the traditional belief that younger generations lean progressive and align with the DPK.
Political analysts suggest young voters are increasingly scrutinizing the opposition party’s actions, including its push for repeated impeachment attempts and political maneuvers aimed at shielding its leadership from legal scrutiny. Some see the growing resistance as a response to what they perceive as the party’s unchecked authority in the aftermath of the impeachment motion. There is also reported frustration with the so-called “Generation 586”—those in their 50s who attended university in the 1980s and were born in the 1960s—who remain unwavering DPK supporters.
The DPK has a history of disparaging voter groups that do not back the party. Former lawmaker Ryu Si-min once claimed, “People over 60 have decayed minds.” More recently, he said of young men who voted for Yoon, “I want to tell them, ‘You guys are trash.’” Ahead of the general election, the party also released a controversial campaign banner targeting younger voters with the phrase, “I [Younger voters] don’t know about politics; I just want to live well.”
Meanwhile, Kang Gi-jung, the DPK-affiliated mayor of Gwangju, recently denied a request from a protest group opposing Yoon’s impeachment to hold a rally at May 18 Democracy Square on Feb. 15, while granting permission for a separate demonstration calling for the president’s resignation at the same venue.
Democracy is built on the coexistence of differing perspectives. Branding young voters as a group to be “isolated” and selectively denying rally permits contradicts the principles of democratic governance and the rule of law. Whether these actions reflect the broader stance of the DPK remains an open question.
