"We Don't Want to Be Associated With Them"... 2030 Generation Draws a Line

[Anchor]

It was the 2030 generation that took to the streets and led the initial protests for voting rights following the ballot shortage incident. Recently, they have been raising their voices through new online and offline spaces. Notably, they are drawing a clear line against theories of election fraud.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong has the story.

[Reporter]

Last Saturday, near Hongik University Station in Seoul.

Dozens of young people from the 2030 generation held South Korean flags and called for a re-election.

[Re-election! Re-election!]

The notice for the rally stated that no flags other than the South Korean flag were allowed, and that only the slogan "re-election" could be chanted.

The 2030 generation, who find both election fraud conspiracy theories and the presence of U.S. flags incomprehensible, have begun to voice their opinions separately.

[Seo (surname)/20s, participant in the Jamsil rally: There are more and more U.S. flags. It’s about our country’s election being flawed, so I think it’s very strange to bring U.S. flags.]

Unlike the early stages of the movement, which focused on condemning the infringement of voting rights, the prominence of election fraud conspiracy theories at the Olympic Park counting station protests led to a noticeable decline in 2030 participation, especially on weekdays.

[Lee Seong-heon/30s, participant in the Jamsil rally: Even talk of U.S.-ROK cooperation and international investigations... Political forces are inciting people who came to the rally because their voting rights were infringed upon.]

In a "Voting Rights Gallery" created on an online community, notices have been posted prohibiting "left-wing or right-wing rhetoric" and "derogatory or hateful slogans."

[Lee Ju-hee/Professor of Sociology, Ewha Womans University: Young people are voluntarily rejecting being absorbed into specific partisan frames, especially far-right messages.]

If hateful remarks are made, the moderators force the individuals to leave.

[Koo Jeong-woo/Professor of Sociology, Sungkyunkwan University: They don't want to be associated with the older generation. It’s a desire to boldly express our suppressed voices to change society and participate ourselves.]

Meanwhile, conservative YouTuber Jeon Han-gil revealed two ballot storage boxes from the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station—which he claims the National Election Commission had discarded—along with approximately 1,700 voter registry verification slips, and submitted them to the police.

He also filed a complaint against the National Election Commission for dereliction of duty, alleging that they abandoned important election materials. However, criticism is growing over whether the process by which Jeon’s side obtained these items, which they claim is a public interest whistleblowing, is itself illegal.

(Video reporting: Kim Hak-mo, Yang Ji-hoon | Video editing: Shin Se-eun | Footage courtesy of BOSS)

Reported by Dong Eunyeong | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.