Young Koreans turn to the adorable to encourage voting

General election 2024

Published: 10 Apr. 2024, 17:26 Updated: 10 Apr. 2024, 22:05

Young Koreans turn to the adorable to encourage voting

A design used to prove one's vote featuring the cartoon character Manggom [SCREEN CAPTURE]

When voting, Korean millennials and Gen Zers consider more than just who to cast their ballot for.

They also ponder how to show off their votes on social media.

In a new twist to the “#I VOTED” movement, some bring an additional slip of paper to stamp.

The slip of paper comes in various designs — like cartoon characters or fun phrases — to stamp and post on social media as proof that they cast a vote.

Nam, a 27-year-old woman living in Yeonhui-dong in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, convinced her boyfriend to vote in the April 10 general election during the early voting period on Saturday, though he was indifferent about the election.

What lured her boyfriend to vote was a simple slip of paper with a cute cartoon bear, Manggeureojin Gom, meaning "broken bear" in Korean.

Manggeureojin Gom — or Manggom for short — was created by Yurang, a popular cartoon character designer. The character has become a hit with younger Koreans.

A voter shares proof that they cast a vote in the April 10 general election [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Nam’s boyfriend said he couldn’t resist voting after looking into the character's “cute and sweet” eyes on the paper.

The couple later shared a photo of the stamped slip on social media.

“I felt the usual method of encouraging voting was overly serious and overwhelming, such as catchphrases like ‘Let’s change this or that through voting,’” Nam said. “I wanted to encourage people in my age group who are unenthusiastic about voting in a witty way.”

At the heart of proving one cast a vote in the April 10 general election is the “MZ-style” using a slip of paper with their favorite cartoon figures or characters.

The so-called MZ generation refers to people born between 1980 and 2010.

In the past, voters used to photograph a stamp on the back of their hands as proof of voting.

However, nowadays, young adults bring their own slips of paper with their favorite cartoon characters on them, get the slips stamped, take photos of them and share them on social media.

Bringing in a slip of paper and stamping it does not violate the Public Official Election Act — unlike photographing the actual ballot, which could land you up to two years in prison or 4 million won (nearly $3,000) in fines.

The various paper designs demonstrate the personalities of individual voters.

Some of these unique designs were on display during early voting last Friday and Saturday, when young voters posted not only stamped slips of paper but also photos of their favorite celebrities.

A customized design for baseball fans [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Slips of paper customized for baseball fans are also garnering popularity.

Baseball fans shared slips with lines like “LG _ictory” and “Hanwha _ictory,” leaving out the “v” in victory.

Fans can fill in the “v” by stamping the space, as the stamp is the same shape as the Korean letter used in the word referring to victory.

“It’s like killing two birds with one stone, as it encourages fans to vote and cheer for their team,” a 25-year-old Hanwha Eagles fan said. “I think it really does encourage people to vote, as I was asked a lot about how I got the design.”

The designs are shared not only by character design companies but also by individuals who voluntarily share their custom-made designs online.

On Tuesday, a day before the April 10 general election, several stamp paper designs with original characters and images were posted on social media.

A creator who designed a slip incorporating Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in Korea, said he "wanted to encourage people to vote without raising any issues as there are some cases where the color of your clothes or hand gesture can cause legal problems, even when they don't refer to a specific political party.”

A design featuring Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in Korea [JOONGANG PHOTO]

“That is why I used Fu Bao in my design and shared it, as many people follow along when something is cute and pretty.”

Prof. Lee Jun-han at Incheon National University’s Department of Political Science and International Studies said the stamp slips "will make young people in their 20s and 30s more interested in politics.”

“As younger people participate voluntarily, more diverse methods to encourage voting will emerge.”

BY LEE CHAN-KYU, KIM MIN-JEONG, KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]