Seoul National University Students Show Strong Support for Lee Jun-seok in Presidential Election

During the official campaign period for the 21st presidential election, Lee Jun-seok, the candidate from the Reform Party, visited Yonsei University in Seoul's Seodaemun District, engaging in discussions with students over meals. A recent survey conducted by the university's newspaper, 대학신문, revealed that Lee Jun-seok received the highest support among Seoul National University (SNU) undergraduates, with 35.1% backing him. Following him was Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, who garnered 27.5% of the votes, while Kim Moon-soo from the People Power Party received 7.7%, and Kwon Young-guk from the Democratic Labor Party obtained 4.8%. Notably, 24.4% of respondents indicated they had no preferred candidate.

Among male respondents, nearly half, or 49.5%, expressed support for Lee Jun-seok, while Lee Jae-myung received 18.8% and Kim Moon-soo 8.0%. In contrast, female respondents showed a preference for Lee Jae-myung, with 43.5% supporting him, followed by Lee Jun-seok (8.5%), Kim Moon-soo (7.1%), and Kwon Young-guk (6.4%).

The survey indicated that 78% of Lee Jun-seok's supporters cited his policies and pledges as their primary reason for backing him. Other reasons included political ideology (16.3%), the candidate's morality (approximately 2%), and his experience (approximately 2%).

Professor Park Won-ho from SNU's Department of Political Science and International Relations commented that there is a demand among young voters for reformist conservative politicians. He noted that the absence of established politicians who fit this demand has led many to support Lee Jun-seok as an alternative.

The survey was conducted among the entire undergraduate population, with 1,161 students responding. After excluding those who did not disclose their gender or provided unreliable answers, the results were based on 1,057 valid responses.