South Korean Voters Show Sharp Rise in Intolerance After Years of Political Turmoil
A longitudinal survey finds South Koreans increasingly unwilling to befriend people with opposite political views, with acceptance falling 13.6 points in 2025 and 25.5 points in 2026.
Researchers from the Korea Development Institute, in partnership with the content startup Underscore and polling firm Embrain, tracked 2,000 South Korean adults in three waves (Feb 2024, Apr 2025, Jun 2026). The survey asked whether respondents could consider a person with different political views a friend; affirmative answers fell 13.6 percentage points in 2025 and 25.5 points in 2026 relative to the 2024 baseline. The steepest drops occurred among women in their 20s and 30s, while men of the same ages declined less sharply.
Experts attributed the shift to heightened political incidents—including a martial-law declaration, court storming, and election-fraud conspiracies—and to rising trust in YouTube, especially among People Power Party supporters. Those who trusted YouTube were far less likely to accept opposite-side friends than those who trusted mainstream media, suggesting a growing echo-chamber dynamic that threatens civic solidarity.
