Yoon supporters climbing over the Western District Court wall. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of young South Koreans in online communities are engaging in radical political actions, including plotting disruptions at court buildings and orchestrating mass messaging campaigns against Constitutional Court Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae.
Experts suggest that economic instability and social alienation among youth are fueling this escalation.
According to keyword analysis platform BlackKiwi, online forums supportive of President Yoon Suk-yeol—such as the ‘People Power Party Gallery’ (국힘갤) and the ‘Emergency Committee Gallery’ (비대위갤) on the website DC Inside—are primarily frequented by users in their 20s and 30s.
Data from the past year indicate that 81.3% of posts in the ‘U.S. Politics Gallery’ (미정갤) and 65.1% in ‘People Power Party Gallery’ were authored by users in this demographic.
These forums have expanded rapidly amid recent political upheavals. The number of posts in the ‘U.S. Politics Gallery’ surged from 2,547 in November 2024 to 230,377 in December, and further to 330,501 in January 2025, reflecting heightened engagement.
Some users are promoting the idea that Yoon’s reinstatement following his impeachment would resolve job market issues, portraying an optimistic future. One post from January 24 claimed that eliminating the presence of Chinese-Korean residents would improve job prospects for exam takers and job seekers, receiving over 860 upvotes.
Another post from February 15 suggested that a return of Yoon’s administration would result in widespread job vacancies in law enforcement, media, and education.
Misinformation about preferential treatment for Chinese-Korean residents has also been circulating. A petition calling for the end of alleged benefits for foreign residents, including Chinese nationals, quickly gained traction within DC Inside, amassing over 50,000 signatures in a week and being referred to the legislative committee.
Zaitokukai members marching through a bustling district in Tokyo. (Yonhap)
Scholars have drawn parallels between these communities and Japan’s far-right ‘Zaitokukai’ (Association Against Privileges for Korean Residents in Japan), which emerged from online forums in 2006 and later engaged in nationwide anti-Korean protests and violent demonstrations.
Hosaka Yuji, a professor at Sejong University and an expert on Korea-Japan relations, noted that the ideological framework behind these South Korean online groups closely mirrors that of Zaitokukai.
“Both movements construct an enemy—China in Korea’s case and Korea in Japan’s—and seek legitimacy through radical action,” he said. He warned that, much like Japan’s far-right party ‘Japan First,’ these communities in South Korea could evolve into a formal political force, aligning with the broader trend of far-right movements gaining political ground in Europe and beyond.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
