Every day for the past week, 72-year-old Kim Kwon-seop has joined the thousands of people who have gathered near the home of impeached South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol. They were determined to protect Mr. Yun from prosecutors seeking to detain him on charges of rebellion stemming from the brief imposition of martial law last month.
For them, it was the opposition that committed the rebellion, abusing its parliamentary majority power and repeatedly blocking Mr. Yoon's political efforts. For them, the opposition's parliamentary majority was invalid because last April's elections were fraudulent. And for them, protecting Mr. Yoon was synonymous with protecting South Korea from the “North Korean believers” who had taken root in every corner of society, from the judiciary to schools to the press.
South Koreans generally dismiss such conspiracy theories as nothing more than online agitation spread by right-wing YouTubers using social media algorithms. However, as political polarization in the country becomes entrenched, the confusion surrounding Yun's situation further exacerbates the situation, and fervent followers like Kim take to the streets en masse to threaten his return to the presidency. I'm looking for.
“Every day as I leave home for this rally, I tell my wife that this may be the last time she sees me alive, because I am willing to die for my cause. “,” Kim said. “This is not just about protecting President Yoon. It's about saving the homeland for our descendants.”
If President-elect Donald J. Trump has a “Make America Great Again'' movement behind him, Yun has a “Taegeukgi unit'' (literally, “National Flag Brigade''). Mostly older Korean churchgoers liven up the gatherings with patriotic songs, waves of South Korean and American flags supporting their alliance with Washington, and fierce attacks on the left-wing politicians they fear. They will hand over their country to China and North Korea.
“We won!” shouted Yin's flag-waving supporters on Friday as investigators withdrew from the presidential palace after failing to file a court warrant to detain him for questioning.
“Yun Seok-yeol is relying on the Korean version of MAGA to maintain power,” said Ahn Byung-jin, a political science professor at Kyung Hee University in Seoul.
Mr. Yoon declared martial law on December 3 to “eliminate all despicable pro-North Korean and anti-national forces at once,” sparking fear and outrage on the right. However, his attempt to place his country under military rule for the first time in 45 years lasted only a few hours. The opposition-dominated parliament voted to cancel it and later impeached him.
Yun, who was suspended, is currently undergoing trial at the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether to formally dismiss him. He is also under separate investigation by prosecutors on suspicion of committing a riot when he ordered the military to occupy Congress and detain political opponents during martial law.
Official polls show that a majority of South Koreans want Yoon ousted, and Yoon's strongest defenders are flag-waving supporters and champions of promoting an alliance with the United States. He is a right-wing YouTuber who praises. These YouTubers, some with around 1 million subscribers, have been calling for Yoon's return and live-streaming rallies in support of Yoon, with speakers calling for efforts to remove Yoon. is called a “coup” ordered by North Korea. They also strengthen political polarization by spreading conspiracy theories against Mr. Yun's progressive opponents.
Right-wing YouTubers have long boasted of their friendship with Yun, after dozens of them were invited to his 2022 inauguration. In the wake of Martial Law's failure, Mr. Yun left little doubt that he was a big fan.
“I am watching your fight in real time through live streaming on YouTube,” Yun said in a message to supporters gathered in front of his home on New Year's Day. “Our country is at risk from rampaging anti-national forces and foreign and domestic forces that violate our sovereignty.”
During Wednesday's rally, lawyer Seok Dong-hyun, who serves as Mr. Yoon's spokesperson, thanked local right-wing YouTubers and called the investigative authorities trying to detain Mr. Yoon a “front” for the opposition party.
“This is war,” he said. “And you are warriors.”
Like other democracies, South Korea has grappled with the role of social media in shaping politics. According to a 2023 report by the Korea Press Foundation, about 53% of South Koreans say they consume news on YouTube, higher than the average of 30% across the 46 countries surveyed.
Analysts worry that algorithm-fueled information bubbles are increasing the nation's divisions as people continue to watch the kind of content they're interested in. The language and conspiracy theories employed by Mr. Yun and his supporters reflect what is on offer. Hong Sung-kook, a former lawmaker and columnist, said it was the influence of right-wing YouTubers.
“Yun's riot is probably the first riot in the world caused by algorithm addiction,” Hong said.
More than a dozen participants at a recent pro-Yun rally interviewed for this article all said they were firm believers in conspiracy theories and that right-wing YouTubers were their main or only source of news.
“They are telling the truth,” said Kim Jae-sun, 72. “I don't read newspapers anymore, I don't turn on the TV anymore. They're full of prejudice.”
Kim Yong Sung, 70, pulls out a beat-up smartphone to watch a video clip depicting progressive leaders bent on undermining the South Korean-American alliance and colluding with North Korea and China. – Viral content created by the populist right wing – Pastor Wing, Pastor Jun Kwang-hoon.
In 1980, Chun Doo-hwan, the leader of the military junta that ruled the country at the time, justified the imposition of martial law by citing the threat of “North Korean puppets” and “dangerous elements” within the country.
As his political troubles deepened in the wake of scandals and disasters, Mr. Yun became more openly aligned with the radicalized political right. He accused unfriendly journalists of spreading “fake news” and called subscribers to political opponents “communist totalitarians”. He even appointed a right-wing YouTuber to head a government employee training center.
Long before Mr. Yun declared martial law, some right-wing YouTubers were urging him to take such action to deal with domestic enemies. They also spread China-hatred by implying that China was secretly manipulating South Korea's internal affairs, including elections. At his supporters' rallies, there are often calls for “the expulsion of the Chinese.” While defending martial law, Yin raised concerns about Chinese spies.
Yoon and right-wing YouTubers also claim that South Korea's election results are no longer trustworthy. Pro-Yin supporters often hold placards reading “Stop the Steal,” a trend popularized by people in the United States who falsely claimed that the vote count in the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Trump. This is a borrowed word. Shin Eun-joo, 52, cited YouTube as a source of information and said she believed in the theory of voter fraud.
Police, prosecutors and election officials have long dismissed the allegations as unfounded. However, when Yun declared martial law, he sent troops to the Central Election Commission to investigate allegations of voter fraud. Prosecutors say military officers involved in his martial law campaign seized the committee's computer servers, detained senior election observers for questioning about election fraud, and blindfolded them in underground military bunkers. He was reportedly instructed to take him to (Martial law ended before computers could be seized or people taken away.)
Mr. Yoon and his lawyers have not commented on the specific allegations, saying that Mr. Yoon's actions were a legitimate exercise of presidential authority, and generally denying the allegation of rebellion.
Cho Gabu-jae, a prominent conservative journalist, said, “It's clear that the president lost his mind over the outlandish voter fraud conspiracy theory while watching a low-quality YouTube channel.''
Yoon's lawyer, Yoon Kapgun, said the allegations of election fraud were strong and divisive enough to merit investigation.
Google Korea said it moderates YouTube content according to its community guidelines.
Ironically, on the night of December 3, news of Yun's declaration of martial law spread rapidly, prompting people to rush into the National Assembly in order to slow the advance of the military and buy time for opposition members to vote. It was also YouTube. Declare martial law.
“It was a conflict between the different roles of the algorithm,” Hong said. “Algorithms can help spread information, but they can also help make you a slave to information.”
