Political Alternation And Electoral Dynamics In South Korea: The 2022 Presidential Election And Its Multiple Dimensions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26422/RPA.2025.0402.bavKeywords:
political alternation, South Korea, 2022 electionsAbstract
The 2022 presidential election in South Korea marked a pivotal moment of political alternation, set against the backdrop of a global health crisis and long-standing socio-economic tensions. This article explores how the power shift represented more than just a change in governing parties—it sparked debates about the country’s direction, the inclusion of marginalized groups, and the very foundations of democratic pluralism. By examining the impact of the pandemic, the decisive role of young voters, rising anti-feminist sentiment, and structural challenges like housing and labor inequality, the study traces the rise of Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative outsider who capitalized on widespread public discontent. Yet, the authoritarian drift of his administration and his eventual impeachment three years later call into question the actual transformative power of political change in consolidated democracies. This article offers a comprehensive reading of the South Korean case, linking its electoral dynamics with broader institutional challenges.
Downloads
References
Al-Fadhat, F. y Choi, J. W. (2023). Insights from the 2022 South Korean presidential election: Polarisation, fractured politics, inequality, and constraints on power. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 53(4), 724-736.
Bavoleo, B. y Chaure, D. (2020). Ciberfeminismo: emergencia y características del feminismo online en Corea del Sur. Revista de Relaciones Internacionales, Estrategia y Seguridad, 14(1), 137-149. https://doi.org/10.18359/ries.3746
Bicker, L. (8 de marzo de 2022). Why misogyny is at the heart of South Korea’s presidential elections. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60643446
Bobbio, N. (1986). El futuro de la democracia. Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Bovero, M. (2020). Democracia, alternancia, elecciones. Conferencias Magistrales. Temas de la Democracia. Instituto Nacional Electoral. https://www.ine.mx/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CM11_baja.pdf
Chan, M. M. Y. (2023). Unveiling Gender Polarization: The Rise of Right-Wing Populism and Anti-Feminism Sentiments among Idaenam. Korea Journal, 63(4), 226-260.
Chang, W. y Yun, S. (2022). South Korea in 2021: A Noisy and Murky Presidential Race, Unstoppable COVID-19, and the Ongoing Globalization of Hallyu. Asian Survey. 62(1): 43-52. https://doi.org/10.1525/as.2022.62.1.04
Cournède, B. y Plouin, M. (2022). No Home for the Young? Stylised Facts and Policy Issues. OECD Housing. https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2022/06/no-home-for-the-young_1f0d5ce2/adbee321-en.pdf
Gunia, A. (10 de marzo de 2022). How South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol capitalized on anti-feminist backlash to win the presidency. Time. https://time.com/6156537/south-korea-president-yoon-suk-yeol-sexism/
Hernández, M., Scarr, S. y Sharma, M. (2020). Los focos de infección en Corea. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CHINA-HEALTH-SOUTHKOREA-CLUSTERS/0100B5G345Y/Human Rights Watch. (2023). South Korea. Events of 2022. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/south-korea
Hong, S. Y. y Lim, J. H. (2023). Why is Success of South Korea's Covid-19 Response Fading? International Journal of Social Determinants Health and Health Services, 53(3), 323-330. https://doi.org/10.1177/27551938231165154
Hong, S., Kim, N., Mo, Z. y Yang, L. (2024). Income Inequality in South Korea, 1933-2022: Evidence from Distributional National Accounts. WID. World Working Paper. https://wid.world/document/income-inequality-in-south-korea-1933-2022-evidence-from-distributional-national-accounts-wid-world-working-paper-2024-03/
Kim, W. (8 de marzo de 2021). A Year After COVID-19 – Changes and Prospects for Women’s Work and Care. Policy Issues for Addressing the Changes in Women’s. Employment and Job Crisis After COVID-19. KWDI Brief, Issue No. 63. Korean Women’s Development Institute. https://share.google/ELjzkYUtvuJXUuVPt
Kim, A. (21 de febrero de 2022). Why isn’t COVID-19 top priority for S. Korea’s next president? The Korea Herald. https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220221000926
Kim, A. (14 de julio de 2022). More science, less politics? Yoon’s COVID-19 plan is Moon’s in different words. The Korea Herald. https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220714000880
Kim, S., Kim, J. H., Park, Y., Kim, S. y Kim, C.Y. (2020). Gender analysis of COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea: A common challenge and call for action. Health Education & Behavior: The Official Publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 47(4), 525-530. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198120931443
Kuhn, A. (7 de marzo de 2022). Millennial and Gen Z views of South Korea's generation in power shape an election. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/03/06/1083571714/south-korea-election-youth-vote
Lee, Y. I. (8 de marzo de 2022). Korea’s anti-feminist angry young men. The Globalist. https://www.theglobalist.com/south-korea-anti-feminist-young-men-presidential-election-lee-jun-seok/
López Aymes, J. F. (2022). La batalla de la República de Corea contra el SARS-COV-2: equilibrio con costos. En López Aymes, J. F., Uscanga Prieto, C., Ramírez Didou, P. H. y Ramírez Bonilla, J. J. (Eds.). Contención y mitigación de la COVID-19 en Asia del Pacífico: programas y acciones clave durante 2020 (pp. 175-210). Centro Regional de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. (2020). Tackling COVID-19 : Health, quarantine, and economic measures view. https://www.mofa.go.kr/eng/brd/m_22747/view.do?seq=5&srchFr=&srchTo=&srchWord=&srchTp=&multi_itm_seq=0&itm_seq_1=0&itm_seq_2=0&company_cd=&company_nm=&page=5&titleNm=
Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económico. (2022). OECD Economic Surveys: Korea 2022. https://doi.org/10.1787/20bf3d6e-en
Park, N. (23 de junio de 2021). Why so many young men in South Korea hate feminism. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/06/23/young-south-korean-men-hate-liberals-feminists
Park, S. (7 de diciembre de 2023). Household owes more than 90 mln won in debt in 2023: data. Yonhap News Agency. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20231207002200320
Ramírez Bonilla, J. J. (2023). Corea del Sur 2022: la pandemia continúa. Anuario Asia Pacífico El Colegio de México, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.24201/aap.2023.371
Sartori, G. (2001). La sociedad multiétnica. Pluralismo, multiculturalismo y extranjeros. Taurus.
Schwack, J. (2022). Korea’s Exemplary Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Successes and Challenges. PRISM, the Journal of Complex Operations, 9(4), 200-212.
Snyder, S. A. (17 de abril de 2020). Implications of South Korea’s historic COVID-19 elections. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/blog/implications-south-koreas-historic-covid-19-elections
The Republic of Korea Cheong Wa Dae. (2022). Opening remarks by president Moon Jae-in at 18th Cabinet meeting. Office of the President of the Republic of Korea. http://webarchives.pa.go.kr/19th/english.president.go.kr/BriefingSpeeches/Speeches/1169
Vargas, J. P. (2016). La alternancia desde el pluralismo democrático. Revista de Derecho, 20, 71-97. https://doi.org/10.5377/derecho.v0i20.2789
Yi, W. (17 de septiembre de 2023). 30 people purchased 8,000 homes: data. The Korea Times. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/biz/2024/01/602_359685.html
Yu, S., Yoo, E. J. y Kim, S. (2022). The effect of trust in government on elections during the Covid-19 pandemic in South Korea. Asian Politics and Policy, 14(2), 175-198. https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12631
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Bárbara Bavoleo, Matías Benítez, Desirée Chaure
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This license allows the copy, distribution, exhibition and representation of the work provided authorship is acknowledged and the work is properly quoted. Commercial use of the original work or the generation of derived works are not allowed.
The authors hereby guarantee the right to the first publication of the work to the Revista Política Austral.
