President Lee Jae Myung listens to remarks during a talk concert for voters in their 20s and 30s at Gurumare Theater in Mapo District, Seoul, Sept. 19, 2025. Courtesy of Presidential Office
President Lee Jae Myung has a 66 percent approval rating overall, yet his support among voters in their 20s has stagnated at 48 percent, a gap that threatens the Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) hopes for a sweeping win in the June 3 local elections.
Experts say many young voters are disillusioned by a complex mix of economic and political frustrations. Young voters face a sluggish job market exacerbated by artificial intelligence replacing entry-level roles, a perceived absence of targeted youth policies and a ruling party focused on prosecution reforms that many view as disconnected from their everyday concerns.
According to a Gallup Korea poll released March 20, Lee’s overall approval rating remained in the high 60-percent range for the third consecutive month this year. However, his 48 percent approval among respondents aged 18 to 29 lags significantly behind voters in their 40s and 50s, who registered 78 percent and 77 percent, respectively. It also trails the 60 percent approval from voters in their 70s and older, a demographic that traditionally leans conservative.
This marks a sharp reversal from the June 3 presidential election last year. Exit polls from three major broadcast networks showed Lee securing 41.3 percent of the youth vote and just 34 percent from voters in their 70s, the lowest figures among all age groups. In a Gallup Korea poll from July, shortly after his inauguration, his support in both age demographics hovered in the low 50-percent range. Nine months later, his youth support has dropped while his backing from voters in their 70s and older has surged.
The chart generated by artificial intelligence shows President Lee Jae Myung's approval trends among voters in their 20s and those aged 70 and older.
Analysts attribute this shift to fundamentally different perceptions of the administration's priorities. Eom Kyung-young, head of the Zeitgeist Research Institute, said the government's cash welfare programs, such as recovery support funds and basic income for farming communities, disproportionately benefit voters in their 70s and older.
"While older adults are the beneficiaries of cash welfare policies, those in their 20s consistently oppose an administration stance that prioritizes present welfare expansion over the future," Eom said.
A Job Plus Center at a university in Seoul / Yonhap
This disconnect was evident in Gallup's March survey, where voters in their 20s gave the administration's welfare and labor policies the lowest positive evaluations of any age group, at 38 percent and 33 percent, respectively.
Source: Korea Times News
