[EAI Conference] The Future of Korean Democracy and Institutional Reform: Crisis and Alternatives 2

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtoW4kjr6ts

Video Script

Gender Gap in Political Participation Among the Youth Generation and Online Discourse

Yes, hello. I am Kim Manna from Jinju National University of Education. Today, I will begin my presentation titled 'Gender Gap in Political Participation Among the Youth Generation.' As it has been widely reported in the media and many of you may have guessed from the title, a striking phenomenon at this rally was young women in their 20s. Young women held light sticks instead of candles and sang K-pop instead of protest songs, leading the rally atmosphere with vibrancy and joy, which in turn created an atmosphere where hesitant bystanders could easily join. On the other hand, adult men were rarely seen. Particularly, as the faces of young men received attention in incidents like the West Coast riot or the press conference by the White Skull unit, discourse is forming online that young men are being swept up in conspiracy theories about election fraud

or are being incited by YouTubers. On the opposing side, positive discourse such as 'Young women are leading democracy' and 'Young women are the hope for the future' also emerged. However, it has not yet been analyzed how these circulating online discourses manifest through empirical data. It is a well-known fact that the youth generation differs in participation patterns, political tendencies, and party support based on gender. However, if there is a divergence in political behavior between men and women even in the face of actions that attack our democratic system itself, such as the recent state of emergency, it may indicate a reality where even consensus on democracy has not been reached, thus requiring a more cautious and thorough analysis of the causes. To briefly mention the analysis data, on December 3rd, there was a state of emergency, and during the ongoing protests, in 2025

participation rate of women in their 20s in favor of impeachment and men in their 20s

in January, a public opinion poll was conducted targeting adult voters nationwide. The respondents were divided into six age groups, from their 20s to 70s and above, and further divided by gender, creating a total of 12 groups. People were asked if they had participated in rallies urging or opposing the impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol, and these are the response results. As you can see, the proportion of women in their 20s on the far right is overwhelmingly high in the pro-impeachment rallies. It is the highest among all population groups who participated in pro-impeachment rallies. While most population groups are closely clustered between 5% and 99% for and against, it stands alone at 25%. Comparing by gender, men in their 20s are only around 99.8%. However, it should not be misunderstood that men appear to be low compared to women in their 20s; although the gap appears large within this demographic group, the participation rate of men in their 20s is actually close to the average. The average is 99.7%. Therefore, it is true that a gender gap within the 20s emerged in this rally participation. However, this does not mean that men in their 20s are actively participating in rallies opposing Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment. In other words, if we are to find a unique characteristic in this rally participation, it is to be found among women in their 20s, not to be focused on men in their 20s. Contrary to public concern, men in their 20s, on average, support Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment and are generally critical of the state of emergency. This is different from the lukewarm critical attitude of the elderly in their 60s and 70s. This means that they do not show an attitude of defending Yoon or believing the state of emergency was justified. In other words, they have not actively taken action, but their thoughts are very similar to other demographic groups.

This means that they have not actively taken action, but their thoughts are very similar to other demographic groups. Therefore, when we look for a unique characteristic in this rally participation, it is to be found among women in their 20s, not to be focused on men in their 20s. Contrary to public concern, men in their 20s, on average, support Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment and are generally critical of the state of emergency. This is different from the lukewarm critical attitude of the elderly in their 60s and 70s. This means that they do not show an attitude of defending Yoon or believing the state of emergency was justified. In other words, they have not actively taken action, but their thoughts are very similar to other demographic groups.

High Dissatisfaction and Political Attitudes Among Women in Their 20s

This means that their thoughts are very similar to other demographic groups. So, naturally, we turn our attention back to women in their 20s. Let's consider why women in their 20s specifically came out for this impeachment rally. After December 3rd, the weather became very cold. The streets were freezing, and the biting wind felt like it would freeze our ears off, and it was the end of the year. There were many gatherings, but participating in a rally requires investing my time, energy, and canceling gatherings to actively invest my energy there. While many say they feel relieved and happy afterward, as the saying goes, participation actually requires a great deal of resolve. Going out onto the streets under such adverse conditions means that one cannot bear it without going. Existing research on citizen participation and resistance suggests that emotions like rising anger and a sense of urgency that a crisis is imminent if left unaddressed are the driving forces behind participation. In short, it could mean that there is no other demographic group that feels as much anger towards Yoon Suk-yeol as women in their 20s do now.

The right side shows the approval ratings for Yoon Suk-yeol's administration over the past three years. While there is little gender difference among those in their 30s to 50s, a gender gap exists among those in their 20s, with women in their 20s expressing the greatest dissatisfaction. It can be seen that women in their 20s give the harshest ratings. Then, reflecting on why women were so dissatisfied with the Yoon administration, it is evident that since the last presidential election, candidate Yoon Suk-yeol employed a strategy of dividing the youth generation by gender, with his pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and statements denying structural gender discrimination. He actively courted the votes of men in their 20s but turned his back on women in their 20s. Even after taking office, he did not take any particular measures to embrace young women. He stubbornly maintained the issue of abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a highly sensitive issue for young women today.

Preference of Women in their 20s for Political Parties and Politicians

Conversely, when candidate Yoon Suk-yeol actively sought to win over men in their 20s during the last presidential election, candidate Lee Jae-myung hastily made efforts to gain the support of women in their 20s. The result was successful, leading to the formation of a strong supporter base for the Democratic Party's leader, Lee Jae-myung, known as 'reform daughters' or 'gae-ddal.' Ultimately, the division within the youth generation that began in earnest during the presidential election appears to have solidified without mitigation during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Meanwhile, with the end of this year's political cycle, improvement awaits, and Lee Jae-myung is a strong contender for the next presidential election. The graph shows the degree of favorability towards Lee Jae-myung versus Yoon Suk-yeol, and the People Power Party versus the Democratic Party, for each of these two groups. The most noticeable point is in the 20s. Women in their 20s are very cold towards Yoon Suk-yeol compared to all other demographic groups, and show some favorability towards Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party, with the largest gap widening. On the other hand, men in their 20s dislike both. They dislike Yoon Suk-yeol, dislike Lee Jae-myung, dislike the Democratic Party, and dislike the People Power Party. While they are cynical, women in their 20s distinctly show a pattern of strongly disliking one side and having favorability towards the other, a pattern not seen in other generations. Looking at women in their 30s, whom we usually group with those in their 20s as 'young women,' they differ from women in their 20s. Women in their 30s do not favor Lee Jae-myung as much as women in their 20s do. The same applies to the Democratic Party. In that regard, men and women in their 30s show similar patterns, but within women in their 20s, these preferences and dislikes are clearly defined. Emotional polarization can lead to passionate participation in rallies and can be a driving force for participation fueled by a fervent desire to protect democracy; however, on the other hand, this passion can also impair rational judgment or

decision-making ability. The graph shown asks how fair the last election was. It inquired about the presidential and general elections, and the interesting point here is that women in their 20s evaluate the last presidential election as not very fair. The political tendencies of men in their 40s and women in their 20s are very similar. They support the Democratic Party and have strong progressive leanings, but at least men in their 40s, despite losing the last election, still evaluate it as fair, which is a different pattern. On the other hand, men in their 20s tend to lean towards the side that the general and presidential elections were fair.

Perception of Electoral Fairness Among Women in their 20s

The graph shown asks how fair the last election was. It inquired about the presidential and general elections, and the interesting point here is that women in their 20s evaluate the last presidential election as not very fair. The political tendencies of men in their 40s and women in their 20s are very similar. They support the Democratic Party and have strong progressive leanings, but at least men in their 40s, despite losing the last election, still evaluate it as fair, which is a different pattern. On the other hand, men in their 20s tend to lean towards the side that the general and presidential elections were fair. This means that women in their 20s are experiencing severe emotional polarization and evaluate the general and presidential elections negatively and do not trust them. To summarize, women in their 20s exhibit more severe emotional polarization compared to other groups, and this is likely related to their negative evaluation of the results of the last presidential election. While these are merely statistical observations and such relationships cannot be easily concluded, this is the pattern shown by the basic statistics. The current state of emergency was a matter that went far beyond the scope of political choices like presidential or general elections. It was closer to an event that erased the constitutional order, so it may be difficult to explain people's behavior solely by factors of emotional polarization. Perhaps those who have a strong conviction that 'Our democracy must be protected' may have gone to the rally regardless of their political affiliation. This may have been the driving force behind their fervent emotions. Therefore,

This means that women in their 20s are experiencing severe emotional polarization and evaluate the general and presidential elections negatively and do not trust them. To summarize, women in their 20s exhibit more severe emotional polarization compared to other groups, and this is likely related to their negative evaluation of the results of the last presidential election. While these are merely statistical observations and such relationships cannot be easily concluded, this is the pattern shown by the basic statistics. The current state of emergency was a matter that went far beyond the scope of political choices like presidential or general elections. It was closer to an event that erased the constitutional order, so it may be difficult to explain people's behavior solely by factors of emotional polarization. Perhaps those who have a strong conviction that 'Our democracy must be protected' may have gone to the rally regardless of their political affiliation. This may have been the driving force behind their fervent emotions. Therefore,

Gender Differences in Democratic Values and Political Participation

In this survey, we included a question asking whether democracy or dictatorship is superior and correct. As you can see, women in their 20s responded with a high rate of 80% that democracy is always correct. The white portion of the pie chart, which represents this response, is the largest. In contrast, men in their 20s are very cold and skeptical. The shaded portion of the pie chart, representing responses such as 'dictatorship might be better depending on the situation' or 'democracy or dictatorship doesn't matter,' is relatively large. The difference in values regarding democracy may have been a factor in not participating in the impeachment rallies. It can also be interpreted that due to skepticism about which system to establish after the end of the national term, they did not easily participate. To summarize the content, women in their 20s were the most active participants in the rallies supporting Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment due to the recent state of emergency. While men in their 20s appeared less active in comparison, it does not seem that they were necessarily

Emotional Polarization and Future Political Participation Prospects

swept up in conspiracy theories about election fraud. The anomaly lies with women in their 20s. And one of the characteristics observed among women in their 20s is that the gap in favorability between Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol, and between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party, was the largest compared to other demographic groups. This polarized emotion may have been the driving force behind their participation. However, looking ahead to the post-impeachment era, there is a need for caution regarding this polarized emotional state. This is because while such emotions can have a very positive impact on short-term protests or movements to protect democracy, they can be detrimental in the stage of stably leading the post-impeachment system, akin to post-democratization democracy. It is necessary to continuously be vigilant and observe this, as people may be swayed by fandom politics rather than making rational judgments about policies, and may act based on favorability or unfavorability towards politicians or parties.

On the other hand, while men in their 20s did not actively participate, it can be speculated that cynicism and deep skepticism towards the system underlie their lack of participation. At least women in their 20s are expressing and releasing their pent-up dissatisfaction outwardly. In a way, this might appear healthier. Men in their 20s, on the other hand, show apathy and powerlessness, raising concerns that this might lead to chronic political aversion in the future, which is why I believe continued research is necessary in this area. This concludes my presentation.