Youth campaign group of Lee Jae-myung, a presidential candidate of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party, cheer during their campaign rally at a campaign site in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb 24, 2022.SEOUL - South Korean presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol got a boost on Thursday when a rival dropped out, but if the conservative former prosecutor wins next week, it may also be thanks to "deepfake" avatars and viral short videos.
Yoon, 61, who has been narrowly ahead of Lee Jae-myung, 57, from Moon's governing party, won the backing on Thursday of a fellow conservative running a distant third, who joined with Yoon in a combined ticket. Moon is barred by terms limits from seeking reelection. "I've found him to be more open to change," said Kim, a former think tank researcher. "He was portrayed as passive and at times lacking confidence in the media, so I wanted to help change that and add young voices to his policies."
"His face turned darker" after the criticism, Kim said, but "there was no censorship and he listened carefully and took notes. And in the end he accepted most of our suggestions." "There was a lesson that brief yet strong messages could have a massive impact, especially on young generations and people who are apathetic about politics," said Park Min-young, a Yoon adviser who has written about generational political shifts.Liberal contender Lee, after meeting with young men and mothers, proposed allowing public healthcare insurance to cover hair loss treatment.
Lee is especially targeting young people who joined candlelight vigils leading up to the 2017 impeachment and ouster of conservative then-president Park Geun-hye.