Young men in South Korea move to the political right ^{CEFR B1}

Following the June 2025 snap presidential election, researchers published a large post-election survey. Hankook Research and Sisa In, with academic input, collected responses from over 2,000 voters aged 18 and older and used up to 239 questions. John Kuk, a political studies professor who helped design the questionnaires, said men aged 18–29 were more conservative than other groups on feminism, redistribution and attitudes toward migrants and refugees.

The survey gave clear examples of the gender gap. On a question about gender quotas for high public positions, 71 percent of men aged 18–29 strongly or moderately disagreed while 63 percent of women strongly or moderately agreed. On the statement that there should be a movement to honour masculinity and men’s rights, 47 percent of men agreed and 68 percent of women disagreed. At the same time, 61 percent of men 18–29 strongly or moderately disagreed that force could be used to save Korean democracy, and 52 percent rejected suspicions that the election was rigged.

The June election also reflected these views. Among men 18–29, 37.2 percent voted for Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party and 36.9 percent voted for the ruling conservative candidate. About 58 percent of women in the same age group voted for Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, and nearly 6 percent of women in their 20s supported Kwon Young-kook of the Democratic Labor Party.

Analysts link the rightward shift to the Idaenam anti-feminist trend and to online forums such as Ilbe and FM Korea. The 2016 murder near Gangnam boosted feminist activism, and critics say elite university dominance and heavy private education spending also fuel resentment that shapes politics and policy debates.