South Korea is increasingly polarized, not just because of the protracted strife between its parties but the pull factor of elements that lie outside of the traditional political arena.
The emergence of conservative online media, a vociferous cohort of young men and a movement inspired by “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) in the United States risk further destabilizing the country’s hard-earned democratic equilibrium.
Since impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law declaration, young men in their 20s and 30s have emerged as the largest demographic backing him, with many taking to the streets in his support — a shift from the older voters who have traditionally made up the ruling People Power Party’s base. In contrast, anti-Yoon and pro-impeachment protests have been led by young women. While this gendered divide already existed in the country, the current fraught environment has sharpened its edges, with the protests becoming a new site of this phenomenon.
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