On March 10, 2017, South Korea’s constitutional court announced in a unanimous 8–0 decision the impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye – marking the season finale of a high-stakes political drama that captured global attention beginning at the end of 2016. But as the world tuned in week after week for the outrageous rumours and stranger-than-fiction revelations that surrounded the President Park, it was South Korea’s youth that truly took centre stage as they stepped out into the social and political limelight of their divided nation.
Welcome to the final instalment of The Youth Element’s 3-part break-out series on political engagement. After exploring activism and social consciousness among millennials in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, co-hosts Linda, Justin, and a special guest, turn their microphones on South Korea. Join our hosts as they unravel the catalytic role South Korean youth played in the President Park scandal, and why youth continue to be at the centre of the controversy long after Park’s bitter end, and the election of President Moon Jae-in.
Additional Reading:
South Korea
- Aljazeera, Rival Protests in Seoul Over Park Geun-hye Impeachment, February 25, 2017.
- BBC News, 'Santa protest' against South Korea President Park Geun-hye, December 24, 2016.
- Hayes Brown, This May Well Be The Weirdest Scandal Of 2016, Buzzfeed, November 2, 2016.
- Ilaria Maria Sala and Isabella Steger, A Rasputinesque Mystery Woman and a Cultish Religion Could Take Down South Korea’s President, Quartz, October 26, 2016.
- Lee Seok Hwai, The Spoiled Brat, Straits Times, March 12, 2017.
- Lukas Gajdos and Roberto Bendini, Quick Policy Insight: The 2012 South Korean Presidential Election, European Parliament, January 7, 2013.
- Reuters, Record Turnout in South Korean Election to Replace Jailed Park Geun-Hye, Newsweek, May 9, 2017.
- The Associated Press, How Protests at a South Korean University Led to the Downfall of President Park Geun-hye, CBC News, March 14, 2017.
- The Korea Times, Prosecutors Raid University Over Influence-Peddling Scandal, November 22, 2016.
Videos
- Arirang News, President Park Geun-hye Removed From Office as Impeachment Motion Upheld, Video, March 9, 2017.
- Asian Boss, What Young Koreans Think Of Their President (Presidential Scandal), Video, November 5, 2016.
- JTBC News, "We Must Inform Foreign Countries": Declaration to 9 Foreign Countries Abroad, Video, October 29, 2016.
