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Selfie lines form at empty portrait of imprisoned ex-leader
Seoul, 20 December 2025 - A life-sized photograph of South Korea's jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol drew queues of young supporters outside Gwanghwamun Gate this week, despite Yoon himself serving time on insurrection charges.
From power to prison: Yoon's fall and rise as a martyr
Yoon's presidency ended abruptly on 3 December 2024 when he declared martial law, sending troops to occupy parliament and the national election commission. He alleged, without evidence, that North Korean sympathisers and Chinese agents were plotting to steal elections.
Within hours, thousands of citizens blocked the soldiers. Lawmakers scaled walls to convene and overturn the order. Yoon was impeached days later and now faces life imprisonment. Most observers called the episode his political death-but for a growing segment of young South Koreans, it transformed him into a symbol of defiance.
A youth movement finds its hero
Freedom University, a right-wing student group founded by 24-year-old Park Joon-young, has turned Yoon's imprisonment into a rallying cry. The organisation opposes what it describes as a corrupt, left-wing establishment that has failed young people.
"When Yoon was elected, it wasn't that we were happy about a right-wing win. It was that a left-wing candidate lost."
Park Joon-young, Freedom University founder
Park says Yoon's martial law declaration resonated because it named what the group sees as Democratic Party abuses: "passing absurd bills and cutting youth budgets."
From online forums to the streets
Freedom University has grown rapidly, mobilising students across universities to oppose Yoon's impeachment. Its rallies now draw thousands, amplified by aggressive social media campaigns on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube.
Banners at the events proclaim "Korea for Koreans" and "Chinese Communist Party out!" Many signs echo American right-wing slogans: "Make Korea Great Again" and tributes to assassinated U.S. conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Hyung Ki-sang, 28, told the BBC he joined the movement after years of feeling ignored by mainstream parties. He was convinced by Yoon's election-fraud claims and YouTube videos purporting to prove them.
Economic despair fuels political anger
South Korea's youth are among the most pessimistic about the country's future. Nearly 75% describe the economy as weak, and only half hold a positive view of it. Post-pandemic growth has stalled at 1-2%, squeezed by U.S.-China trade tensions and competition from Chinese manufacturers.
Home ownership among young adults is at an all-time low, despite the country's world-leading education levels. The median monthly income for young workers hovers around $1,600.
Psychiatrist Kim Hyun Soo, who studies youth disillusionment, says the Democratic Party's decade-long dominance has left deep scars. "Their housing policy failed completely. Young people's biggest grievances are lack of housing and jobs."
Polarisation deepens as government cracks down
Only 27% of South Koreans share Freedom University's views on Yoon, but the group's rise reflects a broader polarisation. President Lee Jae Myung has condemned the movement's anti-Chinese rhetoric, calling it dangerous disinformation, and vowed to criminalise hate speech.
Yet the message resonates in a country where Sinophobia is widespread. A September march through Seoul's Myeongdong district-home to the Chinese embassy and popular with Chinese tourists-featured protesters chanting anti-Chinese slurs.
Park rejects the "far-right" label, saying his movement is about free debate. "In the U.S., Charlie Kirk and MAGA speak confidently. We want the same platform here."
"Never Surrender": A generation's battle cry
At a recent rally, 24-year-old Kim Ji-min held a "Korea for Koreans" sign beside his girlfriend. It was his first political event. "I was nervous, but it feels good to see so many like-minded young people," he said.
A teenage girl nearby picked up a sign reading "Never Surrender." Psychiatrist Kim Hyun Soo warns that without fresh economic visions, more youths will turn to such movements. "We must show them hope-or they'll keep rebelling."
