Surveys conducted after the June 2025 snap presidential election show a marked rightward shift among many young men in South Korea and one of the largest gender gaps in public opinion worldwide. A post-election study by Hankook Research and Sisa In, with academic input and the help of John Kuk, collected responses from over 2,000 voters aged 18 and older using up to 239 questions. The findings point to consistent differences on feminism, redistributive policies and attitudes toward migrants and refugees, even as most young men express commitment to democratic rules.
Detailed survey items illustrate the divide. On gender quotas for senior public positions, 71 percent of men aged 18–29 strongly or moderately disagreed while 63 percent of women strongly or moderately agreed. When asked whether there needs to be a movement that honours masculinity and advocates for men’s rights, 47 percent of men 18–29 agreed and 68 percent of women disagreed. At the same time, 61 percent of men 18–29 rejected the idea that force could be used to save Korean democracy, and 52 percent dismissed claims that the election was rigged.
The June election results mirrored these views in voting patterns. Among men 18–29, 37.2 percent voted for Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party and 36.9 percent voted for the candidate of the ruling conservative party. About 58 percent of women in the same age group voted for Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, while nearly 6 percent of women in their 20s supported Kwon Young-kook of the Democratic Labor Party.
Analysts trace the trend to several forces. A strong anti-feminist movement known as Idaenam and male-dominated online forums such as Ilbe and FM Korea have normalised hostile behaviour, critics say. The 2016 murder of a young woman near Gangnam intensified feminist activism and public debate. A deep meritocratic culture also matters: private education spending reached KRW 29.2 trillion in 2024 and elite universities dominate key jobs—almost 63 percent of judges are SKY graduates—creating fierce competition and resentment that shape politics and policy debates.
Difficult words
- redistributive — policies that move income or resources between groups
- gender gap — difference in opinion between men and womengender gaps
- quota — a fixed share reserved for a particular groupquotas
- meritocratic — based on ability and individual achievement
- normalise — to make accepted or usual in societynormalised
- resentment — a feeling of anger about unfair treatment
- rig — to arrange something dishonestly to change resultrigged
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Discussion questions
- How might a meritocratic culture and high private education spending influence young people's political views? Give reasons or examples.
- What problems or consequences could arise from a large gender gap in public opinion?
- In what ways can online forums and social movements change political behaviour among young people? Give concrete examples.
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