Yoon’s impeachment motion puts focus on South Korea’s generational gap
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment vote has highlighted the political divide between old and young Koreans.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
SEOUL – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment vote
On one side are older, conservative voters, who back Mr Yoon. The other end represents younger, more liberal South Koreans, who blame the President and his political allies for a lack of job opportunities and for holding them back.
This divide, long a feature of national politics, was hard to miss on Dec 7. Across Seoul, thousands of people gathered to voice their opinion on an impeachment motion against Mr Yoon, whose bungled declaration of martial law
The President’s fate hangs on the outcome of the vote, though it was unclear if the vote will happen after ruling party lawmakers walked away.
Opposition parties have joined forces to oust Mr Yoon after the surprise martial law decree, which he swiftly revoked after lawmakers unanimously rejected it.
In central Seoul, Mr Hong Hung-chul, 80, a former member of South Korea’s Marine Corps, joined 150 of his peers to protest against impeachment proceedings.
On Yeouido island, where Parliament is based, a much younger crowd gathered to demand that lawmakers impeach Mr Yoon. Among them were many people carrying light sticks, like for a K-pop concert.
“I was infuriated by the illegal martial law,” said Mr Lee Dong-kyu, 25, who walked to the rally site because officials had prohibited trains from stopping at the National Assembly.
“I do think the impeachment Bill is unlikely to pass, and I can’t imagine what would happen to this country.”
At the heart of the divide are two very different experiences of life in South Korea.
The older generation belongs to an era of post-war struggles, but their hard work resulted in rapid economic growth. They were the driving force behind putting the country on a path towards prosperity, and transforming South Korea into Asia’s fourth-largest economy from the debris of conflicts.
As a result, older Koreans tend to favour conservative administrations like Mr Yoon’s, which prioritise economic growth and national security before fair distribution of resources and friendlier ties with North Korea.
“I’ve been coming down to Gwanghwamun Square every Saturday since former president Park Geun-hye was impeached,” said Mr Hong, referring to the ouster of another tarnished premier in 2017. “I say ‘no’ to another impeachment. We cannot relive that experience again.”
Yet, for younger Koreans, years of rapid economic expansion are well over, and they are struggling to find steady employment amid slowing growth.
“President Yoon has ruined the livelihood of university students,” said Ms Kang Hye-ryeong, a college freshman, who wore a blanket on her shoulders as she shouted from a truck. BLOOMBERG
