Taking to the streets: The evolution of Korea's rally culture

Home > Culture > Features

Taking to the streets: The evolution of Korea's rally culture

Published: 20 Dec. 2024, 07:00 Updated: 22 Dec. 2024, 14:36

SHIN MIN-HEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Protesters cheer with light sticks and placards at a rally, after the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol was passed in parliament near the National Assembly in western Seoul on Dec. 14. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Christmas came early for protesters at the National Assembly in western Seoul recently. On Saturday, the subway station’s bathroom was filled with boxes of freebies in a corner, including disposable hand warmers, face masks, snacks and light sticks.

“Please take what you like and hand them out!” read one sign, and another said, “Winter will end, and spring is sure to come.”

Free items, comprised of disposable hand warmers, face masks, snacks and light sticks arranged in a corner of the National Assembly Station's bathroom on Dec. 14 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

It’s been a rough year-end period for Korea. All eyes have been on the small East Asian country, not for another K-pop-related achievement nor for author Han Kang’s Nobel win, but for President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. A sleepless night involving parliament voting to lift the order followed, with people subsequently taking to the streets in nationwide rallies demanding the impeachment of Yoon. Lawmakers voted to impeach the president in a plenary meeting on Saturday.

The martial law declaration was an unimaginable situation, and the first to happen in 45 years for the country. Lawmakers cried out that the imposition was an act of democratic backsliding. The won crashed, and countries like Britain and Israel issued travel warnings for Korea.

But amid such political turmoil was a silver lining: The world was amazed at how well-behaved and entertaining Korean rallies are.

“With rock bands, large screens and crane cameras, South Korean protest rallies tend to resemble outdoor music festivals, and this one was no different,” the BBC reported on Dec. 8. “Throughout the afternoon, the crowd was entertained by jolly a cappella tunes, sentimental folk songs and protest anthems.”

Protesters demand the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol near the National Assembly in western Seoul on Dec. 10. [YONHAP]

Up to 200,000 protesters marched to the National Assembly on Saturday, according to unofficial police estimates. Light sticks jazzed up the evening sky, and street vendors sold Korean comfort food like eomuk (fish cake) skewers and tteokboki (spicy rice cakes). All rally-goers were seated in neat rows, chanting along to K-pop music blasting from speakers. Some took to the stage to sing an “impeachment” remix to the popular 1970 Christmas carol, “Feliz Navidad,” the lyrics of which went something like: “Yoon Suk Yeol must get lost for a merry Christmas / Kim Keon Hee must be punished for a merry Christmas.”

Everyone appeared to be having a wonderful time, with no signs of violence or aggression — a surprising development for a nation that has a deep history in which multiple nationwide pro-democracy protests quickly escalated into armed conflict.

Flags featuring memes and silly names of made-up organizations used during the rally demanding the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol near the National Assembly in western Seoul on Dec. 14. [YONHAP]

Activism in Korea can be traced roughly back to the 19th century, particularly the Donghak Peasant Revolution in 1894 during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), which was a revolt mainly led by peasants and followers of the Donghak religion against local authorities and the Japanese military.

Subsequently, the leading participants in a protest would noticeably change according to the cause and nature. The March 1 Independence Movement in 1919 was more widespread, including other groups made up of religious leaders, laborers, students and women. This movement was a series of protests against Japanese colonial rule (1910-45) that was initially nonviolent, seeing more than 2 million protesters but resulting in at least 7,500 deaths.

A photo from the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919 showing protesters chanting while throwing their hands up in the air. [JOONGANG DB]

The March 1 Independence Movement is historically significant in that it laid the foundation for Korea’s independence from Japan later on. The protests also exhibited the early uses of flags — the Korean flag, or Taegeukgi — and chants like “Daehan dongnip manse,” or “Long live the independence of Korea.”

From the mid- to late-20th century, the younger generation took center stage during pro-democracy protests, beginning with the April Revolution in 1960. It was sparked by students and laborers after a high school student was killed by the police while demonstrating against a rigged election. The protests brought about the resignation of Korea’s first President Syngman Rhee.

A photo from the April Revolution in 1960 showing young protesters chanting while using the Korean flag, or Taegeukgi. [JOONGANG DB]

A photo from the April Revolution in 1960 showing university professors protesting with flags near City Hall in central Seoul to show their support for young protesters. [JOONGANG DB]

The Gwangju Uprising that began on May 18, 1980, was led by students in Gwangju after the late President Chun Doo Hwan seized power through a military coup in December 1979 and imposed nationwide martial law. Because the 10-day protests had such a tragic impact on the city, with at least 140 civilian deaths and thousands wounded, Gwangju has been holding commemorative events in May every year, featuring rice balls.

The rice ball became a symbol of solidarity and community during the Gwangju Uprising, as citizens at the time voluntarily made them in large sums and gave them out to protesters.

A teacher hands out rice balls to elementary school students on May 9, 2018, as part of a commemorative event for the Gwangju Uprising in 1980. [JOONGANG DB]

It would take years for Korea to finally achieve democratization, and it was only after the June Uprising in 1987, marking the end of Chun’s rule, that the nation underwent constitutional reform, This included the implementation of direct elections.

Candlelight vigils started making an appearance in 1992, when users of communications service HiTEL rallied against being charged fees for its use. At the time, however, the candles did not receive much attention and later saw the spotlight in the 2000s, especially in the rallies that took place against the impeachment motion of late President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and the U.S. beef protest in 2008. Despite the vigils’ aims toward peacefulness, there were still some reports on violent conflicts between the police and protesters at the time.

Protesters in central Seoul hold candles and placards demanding the ban on U.S. beef imports during the former Lee Myung-bak administration on June 9, 2008. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Protesters in central Seoul hold candles and placards demanding the ban on U.S. beef imports during the former Lee Myung-bak administration on June 26, 2008. [JOONGANG ILBO]

In late 2016, when some 1.8 million people rallied for the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, the candles developed into candle-shaped LED light sticks — a possible response to lawmaker Kim Jin-tae of the then-president’s party, who spoke out against the rallies, saying, “The candlelights will eventually go out when the wind blows.”

Protesters fought back to prove Kim was wrong. In addition to the light sticks, they also used mobile apps that showed images of brightly lit candles, which trended on both Google and Apple's app stores. Protesters in Gwangju even lit up torches instead of candles.

According to Song Chan-sup, professor emeritus at the Korea National Open University, the process leading up to Park’s impeachment displayed little-to-no violence.

“The candlelight vigils were very large in terms of participants and size, yet there were no destructive acts,” Song wrote in his 2023 book, “Festivals of a Resistance and Flames of a Liberation, the Protests.”

The academic noted the candlelight vigils’ worth, adding that the peaceful protests symbolized the “refusal to give ammunition to state violence.”

The 2016 rallies also featured silly flags of made-up organizations, as they were attended by not only civil associations but also regular citizens. The flags would represent ridiculous groups, like “People Who Came Alone,” or a reflect their interests, like “Beetle Research Society.”

A protester uses a candlelight app on a smartphone to protest for the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in central Seoul on Nov. 26, 2016. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A handmade fire-shaped light stick used during the protests demanding the resignation of former President Park Geun-hye in Busan on Dec. 10, 2016 [JOONGANG ILBO]

These flags further evolved in the recent rallies for Yoon’s impeachment, which saw striking participation from younger women, ranging from those in their teens to their 30s. Consisting largely of a generation that is unfamiliar with the activist culture of the 20th century, rally-goers incorporated fandom culture instead, a field they are far more familiar with, according to pop culture critic Ha Jae-geun.

This also explains why Girls’ Generation’s hit “Into the New World” (2007) effectively became the theme song for a nationwide political demonstration. Since Ewha Womans University students first sang its uplifting lyrics during a school protest in 2016, the song continued to play a part in other rallies, even in Thailand in 2020.

In contrast to actors, many K-pop idols have been reluctant to voice their political views. However, singer IU and members of Girls’ Generation prepaid for large amounts of food and beverages at nearby establishments for protesters to receive.

“Is everyone doing well in this cold weather? Our light sticks look so pretty and wonderful,” Girls' Generation member Yuri said on social media last week. “Don’t catch a cold and stay warm. I loved hearing the echoes of ‘Into the New World.’ I’m also listening to it every day.”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]