[INTERVIEW] Why are young Koreans being radicalized?

Kim Nae-hoon, the author of "Radical 20s: K-Populism and the Political," poses before an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Social issues divide fairness-sensitive 20-somethings: scholar

By Kwak Yeon-soo

In his inauguration speech on May 10, 2017, President Moon Jae-in promised his supporters "equal opportunities, fair process and just results."

This was a message of hope and optimism for young Koreans, who had high expectations for the new administration after the impeachment of scandal-plagued former President Park Geun-hye. However, it didn't take long for them to "turn their backs" on the government as Moon and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) grappled with fairness issues.

As examples, the younger generation showed strong opposition to sacrificing some national players to form a unified inter-Korean ice hockey team at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018. Then in 2019, the elitism scandal surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family angered young people, who normally face fierce competition for college admission and jobs. A year later, a decision by Incheon International Airport to give full employment status to temporary workers reignited furious debate about how to level the playing field.

Many young voters, once solid supporters of liberal blocs, withdrew their support from Moon's party as shown in the results of 2021 by-elections. Among male voters in their 20s, the conservative main opposition People Power Party's (PPP) then Seoul candidate Oh Se-hoon received a staggering 72.5 percent support in the exit poll. Female voters in their 20s were the only group other than males in their 40s to favor the DPK, but with a narrow margin of 3.1 percentage points between the DPK and PPP candidates.

So are young Koreans turning to the right?

Kim Nae-hoon, the author of "Radical 20s: K-Populism and the Political," explained that young people, both men and women, are increasingly becoming radicalized rather than politically conservative.

He argued that young Koreans in their 20s change their political allegiances based on their immediate demands.

"The best prefix that defines young Korean people in their 20s is 'anti-.' They bond under the shared goal of practicing anti-feminism, anti-refugee, anti-immigrant, anti-government, anti-mediocrity and anti-older generation movements. They don't identify themselves as conservative. Hatred of liberals is all that's left of them," he said during an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday.

"I think young Koreans are at risk of radicalization and extremism. Their radicalization is driven by the belief that they are being treated unfairly. Young voters in their 20s, who put fairness and justice above all other social values, feel betrayed by the current government's hypocrisy."

According to him, the reasons for this radicalization include inequality, polarization, decline of the public sphere, work-life instability and the government's incompetence, hypocrisy and self-interest. Their feelings of injustice and perceived unfairness turn into a "phenomenon of hate" that is extended to the culture of misogyny and hate speech.

"I applied the concept of populism to analyze the phenomenon of hate because the two have similar structures. Both share a tendency of setting a clear boundary between 'us' and 'them,' which leads to increased hostility toward 'them,'" he said.

gettyimagesbank

Kim, a 30-year-old scholar who has been studying Millennials and Generation Z, with an emphasis on the people those groups when they were or are in their 20s, argued that "fair" has become the most overused word among young Koreans.

"Fairness is becoming an empty slogan. Young people don't know exactly what fairness is. They were born and raised in the age of neoliberalism, so they were never given the opportunity to expand their political imagination. Due to their narrow minds, they are uncertain about what to ask of the future government or what drastic changes they should aim for," he said.

In that sense, Kim warned that radical twentysomethings could "weaponize" the concept of fairness to confront politicians and get what they want from the government.

"While twentysomethings are united on some issues, including refugees, immigrants and China, they are divided on topics like feminism. Social media is helping to deepen and amplify hatred and division," he said.

He explained that the internet ― with its accessibility and anonymity ― plays a massive role in nourishing this age group's radical outlooks.

Young people get their political news on YouTube and social media which offer curated, condensed collections of news that might represent a single political point or view, often mocking the other side.

According to Kim, the so-called "cyber wreckers," or YouTubers who gather information quickly about the latest trending issues and add their own shrewd opinions, dominate the internet and shape young people's perceptions on various social and political issues. They frequently upload the most provocative or controversial images or memes to increase views.

"Koreans in their 20s are generally indifferent to politics and they mainly get political news daily from social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook or Instagram. Many just click on the articles with provocative headlines and only read the comments, not the content itself," he said.

"More bombastic posts get the most reactions but their sources and content are hardly credible," he said, calling for legislation of related laws and systems.

The cover of "Radical 20s: K-Populism and the Political" / Courtesy of Book Sea

Kim suggested the nation think of twentysomethings as the "risky generation," adding their radical leanings will continue in the future.

"There is much data supporting that twentysomethings will be poorer than previous generations. Younger generations are becoming more concerned, and part of it is the realization that they're going to face problems, including inequality, gender conflict and political strife," he said.

Kim claimed that politicians should not simply resort to populism and use "divide tactics" to win more votes. Instead, they should encourage twentysomethings to push for external pressure for institutional or political reforms.

"Politicians should not hesitate to bring up new policies for fear of being called 'kkondae' (a Korean term that the younger generation uses to refer to people of older age or higher status who act condescendingly). Now, we need a leader who admits they are kkondae, but uses policy to persuade young people to disarm the process of radicalization," he said.