There are accelerating signs of erosion within the core support base of the People Power Party (PPP). The departure of both younger voters in their 20s and 30s and older voters in their 60s and 70s is becoming increasingly evident.
According to the Korea Gallup monthly aggregated party approval survey (based on telephone interviews), support for the PPP among people in their 20s (ages 18–29) fell from 22% in January to 17% in March—a drop of 5 percentage points over two months. During the same period, the Democratic Party (DP) rose from 27% to 30%, widening the gap between the two parties to 13 percentage points. Among voters in their 30s, PPP support also declined from 25% to 20%, while DP support increased from 32% to 37%.
Even among voters aged 70 and above—traditionally a stronghold for the PPP—a reversal has emerged, with the Democratic Party overtaking it. PPP support dropped sharply from 40% in January to 35% in February and 31% in March, a decline of 9 percentage points over two months. Meanwhile, DP support rose from 35% to 39% to 42%, an increase of 7 percentage points. In the same March survey, among voters in their 60s, party support stood at 25% for the PPP and 49% for the DP—a gap wide enough to be described as a “double score.”
Park Sung-min, head of Min Political Consulting, analyzed: “Voters in their 20s and 30s are casting voters who have determined election outcomes in both general and presidential elections, while those aged 70 and above are the PPP’s traditional support base. The Democratic Party’s early start to candidate primaries may have led to a pre-consolidation of ruling-party supporters, influencing approval ratings. However, from the PPP’s perspective, the large-scale departure of core supporters right before an election is a significant warning sign.”
Lee Jae-mook, professor of political science and international relations at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, stated: “Young voters, who tend to choose parties based on policies and issues, no longer view the PPP—maintaining its ‘Yoon Again’ stance—as a viable alternative.” Lee Sun-woo, professor at Jeonbuk National University, added: “Among those in their 60s and 70s, disappointment over the party’s failure to present itself as a credible alternative seems to be leading to withdrawal of support. They may not immediately shift to supporting the Democratic Party, but they could abstain from voting.”
The PPP, which had been planning a “generational encirclement strategy” targeting the Democratic Party in this election, is now reportedly taken aback. A party insider said, “Chairman Jang Dong-hyuk had been focusing on younger voters through tailored youth policies, aiming to isolate the ‘40s and 50s’ demographic—where alignment with the Democratic Party is strong—in order to win the election. Instead, the PPP now finds itself encircled across all age groups.”
A PPP lawmaker from the Yeongnam region commented, “Even our core supporters are turning away, and regionally, even Daegu–Gyeongbuk (TK) is shaking. It’s like the rear lines have been completely devastated right before a war.” Hong Young-lim, former head of the Yeouido Institute, wrote on Facebook on the 27th, “Even those in their 60s and 70s—the last stronghold of conservatism—are turning away, meaning the PPP no longer has a safe zone. Every age group and every region has become extremely unfavorable territory.”
Posted by Freewhale98