In first year of Lee Jae-myung administration, men in their 30s filed the most complaints... 6.62 million cases on e-People

[The Financial News] During the roughly seven months since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, men in their 30s accounted for 16.1% of all online complaints filed through e-People, making them the largest single subgroup. This was revealed in an analysis of petitions released on the 2nd by Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House) and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC). Cheong Wa Dae explained that men in their 30s frequently filed complaints on everyday issues such as attracting infrastructure, opposing unwanted facilities, and the allocation of their children to specific elementary schools.
According to the analysis of complaints filed between June 4 and December 31, 2025, released that day by Cheong Wa Dae and the ACRC, a total of about 6.62 million petitions were submitted during the period. Excluding the roughly one-month suspension of e-People operations caused by a fire at the National Information Resources Service, the monthly average came to about 1.11 million cases.
By gender, 65.1% of applicants were men and 34.9% were women, meaning men filed more complaints overall. However, Cheong Wa Dae noted that the share of female complainants has steadily increased over the past four years, and that women have taken the lead on certain issues such as animal protection and pseudo-religious groups.
By age group, people in their 40s accounted for the largest share at 26.6%, followed by those in their 30s (23.7%), 50s (20.5%), and 60 or older (17.7%). In particular, the number of complaints from those aged 60 and above nearly doubled compared with 2022, which was seen as evidence of an aging trend among petitioners.
By subject, transportation-related complaints made up a majority at 56.4%, followed by general administration and safety (7.9%), roads (6.8%), and health and welfare (3.1%). Cheong Wa Dae explained that a large portion of transportation complaints involved reports of illegal parking, and that, excluding those, many petitions concerned metropolitan transport infrastructure such as calls to extend the Goyang–Eunpyeong Line and to begin construction of the Wirye–Sinsa Line and the Second Gyeongin Line. It added that in the health and welfare category, prominent issues included objections related to the Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupon program, reports of violations of the Medical Service Act, and demands to expand support for patients with rare and intractable diseases.
The analysis also identified individuals who repeatedly filed large numbers of complaints. Since the launch of the new administration, 91 people each submitted more than 1,000 petitions, and together they filed about 300,000 cases. This accounted for roughly 4.5% of all complaints. Typical types included objections to court rulings or investigation results, demands for audits or disciplinary action against civil servants handling complaints, efforts to attract preferred facilities, and opposition to the construction of unwanted facilities.
Based on the findings, Cheong Wa Dae announced plans to more effectively manage repeatedly submitted complaints and petitions involving collective conflicts. It said it will reinforce professional staff at the newly established Bureau for Collective Conflict Mediation within the ACRC, appoint more than 100 citizen counselors, and designate collective conflict management officers at agencies at all levels to strengthen each institution’s own capacity to resolve complaints.
Jeon Seong-hwan, Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Society, said, "Petitions are a vital channel for listening to the voices of the people, but complaints that are repeated over a long period or involve collective conflicts can also generate enormous social costs," adding, "It is necessary to reduce the overall volume of complaints so that we can focus on those that can actually be resolved."
west@fnnews.com Seong Seok-woo Reporter