Now it’s South Korea that has Elected a Far-Right President
Yoon Suk-yeol defined himself in opposition to feminism
On the 9th of March, South Koreans went to the polls, and the results were close. The right-wing People Power party won with 48.56% of the vote, and the incumbent center-left Democratic Party lost after receiving 47.83%.
The Latest Ghoul
There were many issues on the campaign, including wealth inequality, but PPP candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, a prosecutor, seemed to be borrowing from the Trump playbook when he called for the abolition of the Ministry for Gender Equality. However, while Trump won his narrow victory mostly among older voters, Yoon won thanks to votes from young anti-feminist Korean men.
Yoon has not limited his downward punches to women. He also says foreigners are living large off the Korean taxpayer’s dime. Is this starting to sound familiar? Well, it should.
The Trend
Far-right populism is a flawed catch-all term, but has endured for lack of a better phrase to describe the phenomenon. Some might say there is a better word, and it’s fascism. Regardless of your chosen vernacular, there is a clear pattern.
Every far-right populist has their chosen scapegoat demographic, their public punching bag. Some have multiple.
For PM Modi of India it’s Muslims. For Trump it was undocumented immigrants. For Duterte of the Philippines it’s people who use drugs. For Bolsonaro of Brazil it’s indigenous people and the organized working class itself. For Erdogan of Turkey it’s Kurds, Alevis and LGBT people. For Orban of Hungary it’s immigrants, again. And now for Yoon Suk-yeol it’s feminists.
What’s Next?
There are familiar patterns going on in a lot of the cases of these men taking power. In nearly all cases, the main alternative candidate was lackluster and “business-as-usual.” There are scarce examples of the far-right beating the populist left in a head-to-head contest. In fact, when this exact scenario played out just recently in Chile, the left-winger won in a landslide.
The lessons may not all be obvious, but one certainly is. When the forces of primordial tribalism rears its head, we need to go for the jugular.
Unless he is removed from office, Yoon Suk-yeol will be the President of South Korea for five years. If you want to look towards where the far-right may gain power next, look towards France, who’s elections will be held this month.
The far-right National Front holds second place in the polls.
Sources and Further Reading
Is Yoon Suk-yeol the South Korean Trump?
South Korea’s Presidential Race puts Misogyny in the Spotlight
How South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol Capitalized on Anti-Feminist Backlash to Win the Presidency
South Korean women throw down the gauntlet to ‘anti-feminist’ president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol
