Presidential election of 2021 in South Korea: The most controversial election in history

In order to achieve the maintenance of government for liberals and change of government for conservatives, Jae-Myung Lee (Democratic party candidate) and Seok-Yeol Yoon (Conservative party candidate) are fighting against each other and promoting themselves for the presidential election of 2022 in South Korea by visiting markets and mainstreets.

It has been 4 years since President Moon was elected after a candlelight protest regarding Park Geun Hye’s impeachment. In the name of fairness and justice, Korean citizens were united, voting Moon Jae-In in the presidential election of 2017. However, during Moon Jae In's term, political divisions and social issues grew bigger, dividing people into The Minjoo (liberal party) supporters and People Power Party (conservative party).

Basically, liberals prefer a big government with a regulation on the free market to regulate the monopoly of big companies and communities’ benefit over personal freedom. On the other hand, conservatives prefer a small government with pro-business policies and personal freedom.

Recently, Jae-Myung Lee, former civil rights attorney, Seongnam mayor, and Governor of Gyeonggi province became the presidential candidate of the liberal party. Moreover, Seok-Yeol Yoon, former prosecutor general, became the presidential candidate of the conservative party. However, both candidates are considered as controversial politicians due to their words, actions, and scandals.

For example, Seok-Yeol Yoon has been blamed for advocating former president Doo-Hwan Jeon’s action, who directed the massacre of civilians during the Gwangju Uprising. Followed by this, Seok-Yeol Yoon was criticized for his ignorance of overall knowledge, since he relied on scripts during the speech.

Furthermore, Jae-Myung Lee has been blamed for the usage of abusive language and actions during his tenure as a mayor of Seongnam-si. Pros and cons of the two presidential candidates are consistent among liberals and conservatives.

According to Ms. Eunsin Song, a Justice party member (3rd liberal party in S. Korea) who holds an M.A in political science, described Jae Myung Lee as “pre-location figure from the urban poor and has expanded his understanding of progressive values and policies while serving as a human rights lawyer. However, he also has personal scandals, family discord, and abusive language scandal.” Furthermore, Brian Yujun Kim, KISJ grade 12 and a young moderate, described Jae-Myung Lee as “a really hard-working person who does his job efficiently”. However, Brian also pointed out his “morality and behavior”. Brian’s comment on Jae-Myung Lee reflects one of the most important elements for a presidential candidate is morality.

While Ms. Eunsin Song was skeptical about the personality of Jae-Myung Lee as a democratic figure, she described Seok-Yeol Yoon as “an agent of vested interests who was former prosecutor general and advocated fairness and constitutionalism, but from an elite group far from democratic and benefited the most in unfair Korean society as reflected in his scandal.”As Ms. Eunsin Song said, the political division between Democrats and Conservatives is severe, and the approval rating between ages better explains the political division.

Poll results from many companies show that Yoon Seok-yeol leads within the margin of error or gets more than 10% approval rating than Lee Jae-Myung. According to a Realmeter poll, Yoon Seok-yeol had 41.5% and Lee Jae-myung had a 34.5% support rate. In detail, Yoon Seok-yeol's approval rating from the 60 to 70 age group exceeded 65%, and Lee Jae-myung's approval rating from the 40 to 50 age group exceeded 60%. On the other hand, the 20 to 30 age group , called the MZ generation(Millennial generation and Z generation), seemed to be more influenced by urgent social issues.

Recently, the 20 to 30 age group were dissatisfied with the lowered employment rate, increased housing prices, and widespread unfairness. Mr. Chuck, KISJ middle school dorm advisor and a person from the MZ generation, said that “the biggest problem is real-estate price. It’s getting higher and higher. 30 years ago, it was affordable to buy a house even though I’m from the middle class. However, nowadays, it is untouchable and creates hierarchical conflict.” In order to get 20 to 30 age group’s support, Jae-Myung Lee and Seok-Yeol Yoon are visiting start-up companies and traditional markets and promoting policies to relieve social issues mentioned above.

People would wonder why they should be interested in Korean Politics. Normal people are not curious about the politicians' actions and do not care who is elected. However, most people are dissatisfied with society and imagine their own idealistic society. To these people, Ms. Eunsin Song said, “If you are not satisfied with the present and want something to change, please be interested in the election and participate.” As she said, if you want society to change, voting for a certain presidential candidate is one most powerful way to reflect your interests.

This article mainly informs the overall process of the presidential election of 2021, which is considered as one of the most controversial election due to two presidential candidates’ scandals and actions. Compared to 2017, Korean society has experienced a greater division and problems such as the rise of unemployment rate, high real-estate prices, and unfairness. These are social problems that these presidential candidates must solve to make a better country. Many people believe politics is a boring topic without any interest. However, as people eager for the change in the society regarding justice and fairness, the most effective way to reflect their interests is voting, or even engage in social movements utilizing SNS and social media. As Alexis de Tocqueville said "In every democracy, the people get the government they deserve", how much people participate in the election will determine the future of the country.