Analysis: Gen-Z in South Korea's political landscape

The youth vote is emerging as decisive demographic in South Korea's medium-term political landscape but can the parties deliver?

Event or Trend: Gen-Z voters swing between conservative and progressive positions on socioeconomic and political issues and with older voting demographics more stable, political parties are now turning more attention to securing this swing vote.

Significance: In South Korea, Gen-Z voters (currently aged approximately 18-28) are a narrow voting demographic with traditionally limited influence and unpredictable voting patterns, swinging between conservative and progressive parties depending on key issues such as job security, housing, and education.

While they currently lean toward conservative positions due to socioeconomic concerns, their political alignment remains highly fluid, influenced by populist rhetoric on both sides. With older voting demographics more stable, this youth demographic is now attracting political party attention as their highly fluid alignment plays a pivotal role in determining the outcome of increasingly tight elections. This increased relevance also holds signi…