Pundits say the young generation and those in early middle age vented their anger over an uncertain future by overwhelmingly voting for independent Park Won-soon over Na Kyung-won, a former two-term lawmaker of the governing Grand National Party (GNP).
They pointed out that people in this age group have been hit hardest by social insecurity stemming from the high cost of living and education, soaring housing prices, a high unemployment rate, job instability as well as income polarization.
“The election outcome can be seen as the young generation’s outburst of anger toward the incumbent administration, which has only fuelled uncertainly, rather than giving them hope,” Song Ho-geun, a sociology professor at Seoul National University, said.
Voters in their 20s, who face record-high college tuition fees and a bleak job market, favored the lawyer-turned-activist Park over the GNP candidate by 69.3 percent to 30.1 percent.
The liberal candidate with no political affiliation proved even more popular among those in their 30s, who are struggling to cope with the high cost of child care and property market volatility. They cast 75.8 percent of their votes for Park.
People in their 40s, a traditional support base for conservatives, also expressed their desire to bring a change to the existing political landscape, by casting 66.8 percent of their votes for Park.
The results of a survey regarding people’s anxiety over their future coincide with the support people showed toward the capital city’s first-ever elected activist mayor.
The survey conducted earlier this year by the East Asia Institute found that 65 percent, 79 percent, and 64 percent of people in their 20s, 30s and 40s respectively feel that they are facing an uncertain future.
Many middle-aged Seoulites say they consider themselves conservative, but chose the independent candidate over judge-turned-lawyer Na due largely to their disappointment in the performance of the Lee Myung-bak administration.
“I had high expectations that Lee, who had served as Seoul mayor and CEO of a conglomerate, would put an end to patrician politics and focus on the livelihoods of the average people,” Kim Sang-tae, a 43-year-old office worker in Seoul, said.
“Big companies have certainly fared well under his administration, but people in my age group continue to live with the constant fear of being laid off and the low quality of life due to excessive work and the high price of living.”
Hyun Taek-soo, a sociology professor at Korea University, argues that people in their 20s to 40s are the ones who feel the most betrayed by the current administration and the ruling party.
He said they are the ones who have begun to raise serious questions over the incumbent administration’s willingness to fulfill its promises, such as halving tuition fees, creating jobs and the creation of a “fair society.”