Chaos broke out at the Western Seoul District in the early hours of the morning on January 19th. They furiously ran through the court house, destroying and defacing everything in their path. The mob made it as far up as the 7th floor, where the judges’ offices are located. The staff that were working in the building at the time were forced to hide on the roof of the building behind a makeshift barricade. According to reporting by the Korea Times, 63 people have been arrested and formally charged for the violence at the Courthouse. Many traditional media sources, observers, and ordinary citizens are comparing the violence in South Korea, to the violence from January 6th 2021 in Washington DC.
On the surface the two far right groups seem to share a similar cause. South Korean far-right and their American counterparts share a lot of language and conspiratorial thinking surrounding recent presidential elections. “Stop the Steal” signs can be found littering the ground following pro-Yoon demonstrations. Haphazard comparisons limit the understanding of both situations and often serve a previously established narrative.
The comparison is simple to make, both events were fueled by a far right political movement. Both events took place in early January involving a former president with legal troubles. This oversimplified view minimises the short-term and historical context for each event. The violence at the American Capitol was fueled by the MAGA movement and aimed at stopping a peaceful and democratic society. The original gatherings in DC were planned for months. Many of those coming worked together to ensure that they were able to travel to DC with various types of weapons. In South Korea, the far-right was heavily involved in spirit but not no one was in command. Donald Trump is at the center and inseparable from the MAGA movement and January 6th. The U.S. saw extreme political groups with military ties not only organize and gather people in Washington D.C., but they also trained volunteers as militia. The militaristic nature of the American far right calls back to key events in American history and the birth of the republic. Whereas, the mob at the courthouse was more spontaneous, less organized, and less focused.
The violence in South Korea is an instance of societal tensions boiling over, whereas the violence in the United States was the culmination of a political movement that had deep historical roots. This difference is clearly illustrated in the location of each respective event. The South Korean mob stormed and vandalized a courthouse. The anger stemming from and aimed at the legal system, but this violence is being fueled by a more complex fire according to experts. South Korea has been one of the most rapidly changing societies since the 1950’s. Sociologists have pointed to a key narrative that has been key in understanding, not only the violence at the courthouse, but also to South Korean society writ large. Men are being decentered and a new spotlight is being shone on women, a stark contrast from a historically male dominated society. It’s this reversal that has been slowly boiling since the 2000’s if not earlier. The outburst of violence in South Korea was stemming from gendered societal tensions where in the American case, it was a political set of tensions with a militant heritage. These were both serious moments of societal violence.
Being an outburst, this violent instance did not assemble with a goal in mind. People gathered outside of the courthouse to show support for Yoon, some may have wanted to stop the issuing of the arrest warrant. However, there was never a plan to stop the proceedings. A majority of men in their 20’s and 30’s support Yoon’s impeachment.The violence only broke out due to a small minority. Yoon had never addressed his supporters trying to rally them into a frenzy. Holding former President Yoon to account is a democratic and overall popular decision.
One of the key ways these two events differentiate is how they have been used in domestic politics. The violence in Washington DC immediately became a highly politicized issue, with both the left and the right fighting to use the violence to their political advantage. While it has become a flag to rally around for the political right in the US, the violence in Seoul has not been politicized. The participants and any online organizations behind the violence in Seoul are being investigated and the issue is no longer widely reported on. The newest acting president, Choi Sang-mok is burdened with a flailing currency, Trump’s new tariffs, and stagnating consumption – his attention is fully consumed by economic issues.
This is in stark contrast to the violence on January 6th, 2021. The mob that stormed the US Capitol building had been organizing for months following the 2020 election. The certification of the election was targeted by far right extremists and politicians. There was a clear event in the political system that these people wanted halted. Not only was the violence on January 6th planned, it was part of a larger political agenda.