Korea’s Candlelight Protests in Context: Evidence from the Asian Barometer Survey and Global Events Data

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

2016-2017 witnessed the Candlelight Revolution, a series of protests in which 16 million South Koreans peacefully and successfully demanded the end of Park Geun-hye’s presidency. This paper probes what this event says about the strength of South Korea’s democracy. Scholars have argued that popular mobilization is positively associated with commitment to and support for democracy in East Asia. Using survey and events data, I study the factors driving protest participation in Korea and compare the Candlelight Revolution to previous protest cycles there. I also compare protest and repression in South Korea to domestic conflict in other Third Wave democracies. My research yields two important findings: political protest has become both more routine and less violent in South Korea, and genuine concerns about the quality of democracy rather than dissatisfaction with the political system have driven citizens to partake in protests in recent years. These findings imply that the Candlelight Revolution, the most recent manifestation of popular contention in Korea, reflects and is concerned with the quality of the country’s democracy.

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