PPP's Jang bets on grassroots politics to win over young voters

"I wrote 'Youth, take action' on a placard for a young person I met at Olympic Park," People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok said Wednesday. "Why should young people abandon their livelihoods and stand guard at Olympic Park on a rainy evening, demanding their precious vote back?"

Jang made the remarks at a free concert organized by a Gwangju civic youth and student group calling for the dissolution of the National Election Commission and a re-election, held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in front of the Gwangju National Election Commission office in Seo-gu.

Dressed in a white shirt and black cap, Jang drew cheers from the crowd as he declared, "The violation of suffrage is something that cannot happen in a democratic country, and demanding that a flawed election be held again is an entirely rightful cry."

He went on to say he would stake his political career on protecting every citizen's vote. "If there is ever a moment when we are called by history to give everything we have, today is that moment," he said.

Young people stood out among the attendees. A university student identified only by the surname Oh said in a public address that the National Election Commission deserved criticism because it had shaken the very foundation of democracy it was supposed to protect. Another student, surnamed Lee, argued that any election fraud must be fully exposed and, if confirmed, a re-election held to reflect the will of the people.

Voices also emerged in support of the PPP's push for a special prosecutor recommended by the opposition to investigate the election commission. A young participant surnamed Kim, who said he had recently joined the PPP, told the crowd: "What we want is not constitutional reform or a recount — it's a special prosecutor led by the opposition." Another attendee surnamed Lee called for the allegations to be investigated transparently and objectively.

The Jang leadership has been broadening its outreach to young voters, traveling to Incheon, Busan and Gwangju in recent weeks. Jang has made repeated visits to Olympic Park to champion the cause of protecting suffrage. On June 17, he visited the park alongside lawmakers Park Jun-tae, Park Dae-chul, Park Chung-kwon and Seo Cheon-ho.

Jang personally took up a megaphone to lead chants of "Re-election for fraudulent vote" and "Hand-count on election day," telling the crowd: "I am sorry that our politics has failed to produce a solution for more than 40 days. We will absolutely reform the National Election Commission and overhaul the electoral system."

The outreach to voters in their 20s and 30s appears to be paying off. A Realmeter survey conducted July 9 and 10 on behalf of Energy Economy News, polling 1,002 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide, showed PPP support at 46.6 percent among those in their 20s and 52.4 percent among those in their 30s — compared with 29.8 percent and 26.1 percent, respectively, for the Democratic Party. Full methodology is available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.

PPP support among voters in their 20s and 30s stood at 33.5 percent and 41.1 percent, respectively, in the third week of May before the June 3 local elections, then jumped to 49.8 percent and 49.5 percent in the first week of June, immediately after the vote.

Jang plans to continue his on-the-ground politics this month with visits to Daegu and Gyeonggi Province to meet young voters. A senior party official said protecting suffrage and pushing for an opposition-recommended special prosecutor are Jang's core messages, warning that spreading focus to other issues risks losing momentum. "The PPP is responding to what young people are calling for," the official said.