Mourning, Resistance, and Festivity: “Disaster Generation” and Protest Affect in South Korea

In December 2024, then-President Yoon declared martial law in South Korea, shocking both the Korean public and the global community. Mass protests followed, first to oust and arrest him, then to build a new Korean society. Meanwhile, the demonstrations were noted for their “festive” character: young Koreans, mostly women, brought K-pop fanlights and flags, while singing cheerful songs. This presentation moves beyond the peripheral festivity to analyze the complex affects of everyday resistance carried by these young protesters. Who are they, and what changes do they bring to the affective landscape of Korean political protests—protest affect? Based on indepth interviews with 15 participants (early twenties to mid-thirties), I argue that mourning and aspirations for a more just society for the marginalized underpinned the protests. Many cited the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, which claimed 304 lives, as their moment of political awakening and a motivation for direct action. Others pointed to socially inflicted deaths associated with intensifying misogyny and homophobia, such as the 2016 murder near Gangnam Station. For those already navigating a violent, discriminatory, and precarious society threatening their lives and human dignity, the martial law declaration was shocking only in that it made explicit what had long been implicit. The protesters brought their cultural practices—celebrating diversity, memes, and K-pop—that had been sustaining their lives into offline struggles against the farright forces. Beneath the festive surface lies deep-rooted mourning for unjust deaths and visions for a more inclusive, dignified Korean society for everyone. 

Bio:

Dr. Minyoung Kim is the inaugural NEST (Nordic–Lund Emerging Scholars Teaching Program in Korean Studies) Scholar at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University. She is currently a lecturer at Yonsei University and earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine in 2024. Her dissertation, “From Personal Grief to Social Action: Bereaved Families’ Activism in Neoliberal South Korea,” examines how individuals who lost family members to disasters gradually become social movement actors, seeking systemic change to enhance public safety. Her articles have been published in several peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal of Korean Studies, Sociological Perspectives, and Situations. Her article, “Evolving Emotion, Situated Context, and Movement Activism,” won the 2024 Graduate Paper Award from the American Sociological Association’s Sociology of Emotions Section. 

Sponsor:
The NEST program is generously supported by the Yang Won Sun Foundation. 

This event is part of the Perspective Asia Lecture Series.