Ahead of the June 3 local elections, the wave of young people entering politics continues, with even those born in 2008 registering as preliminary candidates. Since the voting age for candidacy was lowered in 2018, youth participation in politics has gradually increased, drawing attention to whether the share of young candidates will top 10% for the first time in this election. Some, however, noted that parties' youth nominations are used only during elections as mere "window dressing," failing to lead to the growth of actual politicians.
Political circles say youth participation in politics has been gradually expanding since the eligibility age for candidacy was lowered. According to the National Election Commission's election statistics system, among 9,266 candidates from the Democratic Party of Korea, People Power Party and Justice Party in the 2018 7th local elections, young candidates (age 18 to under 40) numbered 652, or about 7%, but in the 2022 8th local elections, they rose to 729 out of 7,601, or 9.6%. A political insider said, "Since the voting age for candidacy was lowered, youth participation in politics has been gradually increasing," and predicted, "In this local election, young candidates will exceed 10%."
As of the 16th, the registration status on the Everyone's Election website, created based on National Election Commission preliminary candidate data, shows the average age of all preliminary candidates at 55.1. By party, the People Power Party was highest at 56.3, followed by the Democratic Party of Korea at 55.3. Next were Rebuilding Korea Party at 52.8, The Progressive Party at 48.6, Justice Party at 44.7, and Freedom and Innovation at 43.3. The Reform Party recorded an average age of 39.1, the only party with an average in the 30s, forming the youngest slate of candidates.
In the 2022 8th local elections, when the lower eligibility age for candidacy was first applied, teenagers also ran. At the time, seven candidates aged 18–19 entered the race, and Cheon Seung‑a, who received the No. 1 proportional slot for basic councilor in Goyang for the People Power Party, won a proportional seat on the Goyang City Council, becoming the first teenage winner on record.
In this local election, in which those born through June 4, 2008, are eligible to run, four teenage candidates have been listed so far. The youngest is Democratic Party of Korea preliminary candidate Kim Tae‑hun, born in 2008 and age 18, running for the district/county/city council in District Ra of Gimhae, South Gyeongsang. Also included among teenage preliminary candidates at age 19 are The Progressive Party preliminary candidate Jeong Geun‑hyo, running for the Jeju Provincial Council in Yeondong-eul, Jeju City; People Power Party preliminary candidate Byun Jae‑min, running for the district/county/city council in District Na of Yeonsu District, Incheon; and Reform Party preliminary candidate Ko Jae‑yun, running for the Dangjin City Council in District Ra of Dangjin, South Chungcheong.
Young people are also appearing in basic local government head races. So far, the youngest preliminary candidates for basic local government head are those born in 1995: People Power Party preliminary candidate Kim Young‑hae, running for Dong District chief in Busan, and Democratic Party of Korea preliminary candidate Jeong Jin‑ho, running for mayor of Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi. In metropolitan government head races, Reform Party preliminary candidate Kang Hee‑rin, born in 1997 and running for Daejeon mayor, registered as the youngest candidate.
Parties are emphasizing expanded youth nominations, waiving screening fees or granting bonus points. The Democratic Party of Korea gives a 25% bonus to those 35 and under. Those 36–40 and political newcomers receive a 20% bonus. Twenty percent of metropolitan council seats and 30% of basic council seats are allocated to youth. The People Power Party likewise decided on the 9th of last month to mandate nominating one young person and one woman in each National Assembly constituency when recommending metropolitan and basic council candidates.
The Democratic Party exempts in full the screening fee for 20-somethings entering politics for the first time when they run, and reduces it by 50% for candidates ages 30–45. The People Power Party also fully waives the screening fee when political newcomers under 45 run in metropolitan or basic council elections.
Experts, however, said parties' current systems for fostering young politicians remain at a formal level. Cho Jin‑man, a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Duksung Women's University, said, "Parties lack a functioning system to foster young politicians and connect that to nominations and election," adding, "There are systems such as mandatory youth proportional representation, but they are carried out as window dressing only during elections, and there is no intense internal effort to continuously cultivate talent."