The Dynamics of the Candlelight Protests in South Korea

• In Event: Public Opinion and Democratic Politics in South Korea and Beyond

Abstract

About 17 million people participated in candlelight protests from October 2016 to April 2017 in South Korea calling for the president’s impeachment. In this episode, the president was indeed impeached through constitutional procedures for the first time in South Korean history, and an early presidential election was held ten days after the contentious episode was over. How can we explain the successful mobilization of Korean candlelight protests? Based on the mechanism-based approach, this paper analyses the 2016–17 candlelight rallies as a contentious episode and identifies recurring mechanisms in the dynamic process of mass mobilization. It focuses on the appropriation of institutional opportunities, shifts in elite alignment, and the expansion of online and offline networks to explain the mobilization process of candlelight protests. From this analysis, this paper will draw theoretical implications that can develop the studies of contentious politics.

Author

• Jai Kwan Jung, Korea University