Targeting the 20s Vote with a High Floating Voter Ratio
As the '1,000-Won Breakfast' program gains explosive popularity on university campuses, both ruling and opposition parties have for once voiced a unified call for its expansion. This is interpreted as an effort to target the votes of young people, who have a high proportion of undecided voters, ahead of next year's general election.
The 1,000-Won Breakfast program has been implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs since 2017 to promote rice consumption and spread the culture of breakfast among students. It allows students to enjoy breakfast worth 3,500 to 5,000 won for just 1,000 won.
The government covers 1,000 won, and the school subsidizes the remaining amount. Currently, 41 universities nationwide are participating in the program. Amid rising food costs and increasing meal expenses, the affordable and quality meals provided by the 1,000-Won Breakfast quickly gained popularity on campuses through word of mouth.
Korea University student cafeteria will implement the "Breakfast for 1,000 Won" program starting on the 20th, offering breakfast to enrolled students for 1,000 won. This is the breakfast menu served to students on the first day of the program. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@
The 1,000-Won Breakfast program began to receive more attention after the leadership of the People Power Party visited Kyung Hee University in Seoul, where the program is being implemented, on the 28th. After hearing students' difficulties, Party Leader Kim Ki-hyun said, "When it comes to meals, the state should take responsibility, and we must continue to expand the 1,000-Won Breakfast program. We plan to broaden its scope and improve quality by increasing the support unit price."
The government announced the next day that it would double the budget for the 1,000-Won Breakfast program. The number of participants will be significantly increased from the current 690,000 to 1.5 million, and the support budget will be raised from the original 778 million won to 1.588 billion won.
The opposition party also supported the expansion of funding. The Democratic Party of Korea urged local governments to cooperate, stating that the 1,000-Won Breakfast policy should be expanded to all universities. Since the central government and universities alone cannot cover the budget, they proposed that local governments where universities are located provide additional support through supplementary budgets.
On the morning of the 31st, Kim Min-seok, the Democratic Party's Policy Committee Chair, held an emergency Zoom meeting with party-affiliated local government heads and metropolitan and basic council members, saying, "There are currently about 350 universities, but even if the government's announced expansion plan is followed, fewer than 50 schools can participate," and added, "The government should boldly increase the relevant budget to over 5 billion won."
The swift moves by the ruling party, opposition, and government to expand support for the 1,000-Won Breakfast program are seen as an attempt to win the votes of young people ahead of the general election. The 20s and 30s age groups are considered the 'casting vote' that can determine election outcomes. It is recognized that young generations tend not to clearly define their support for a particular party or political orientation.
According to a public opinion poll conducted by Gallup Korea from the 21st to the 23rd (with a 95% confidence level and ±3.1 percentage points), the proportion of undecided voters among people in their 20s (ages 18-29) was nearly half at 45%, the highest among all age groups. The undecided rate for those in their 30s was 32%. Compared to 28% for those in their 40s, 19% for those in their 50s, 16% for those in their 60s, and 11% for those aged 70 and above, this is an overwhelmingly high figure.
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