SEOUL, April 20 – South Korea’s ruling conservative People Power Party has reportedly integrated the popular Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test into its presidential primary process, with candidates revealing their personality types during televised debates over the weekend.
Korea Herald reported that all eight contenders vying for the party’s nomination in the June 3 presidential election shared their MBTI types as part of their self-introductions during debates held on Saturday and Sunday.
Several candidates, including former party chief Han Dong-hoon, former labour minister Kim Moon-soo, lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, identified as ENTJ, a type commonly characterised as visionary and goal-oriented leaders.
The candidates highlighted the leadership qualities associated with the ENTJ type, normally referred to as “The Commander”, and vowed to pursue their proposed policies if elected.
Meanwhile, Na Kyung-won and former lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja said they were ENFJ types or “The Protagonist”, associated with empathetic and responsible leadership.
Yang compared herself to global figures such as Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, and Oprah Winfrey, who share the same type.
North Gyeongsang Governor Lee Cheol-woo described himself as ESFJ, often referred to as “The Caregiver”, while former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, who took the test during his 2022 campaign, said he was ESTJ, commonly known as “The Director”.
The MBTI is a self-report questionnaire designed to identify a person’s personality type based on four dichotomies: introversion vs. extraversion, sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. feeling, and judging vs. perceiving.
It categorises individuals into one of 16 distinct personality types, represented by a four-letter code, to help people better understand their preferences, strengths, and how they interact with the world.
Although widely used for personal development and career exploration, the MBTI has been criticised for lacking strong scientific validity and reliability, but it remains popular in organisational and educational settings.
While the MBTI has become a pop culture phenomenon in South Korea — with K-pop idols usually divulging their types — its use in political campaigns remains rare, and it is unusual for candidates to publicly disclose their personality types.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, the party’s candidate in the 2022 election, had revealed his MBTI type as ENFJ via a campaign website promoting his policy positions.
