On a humid Tuesday in mid-April, one week after Yoon’s impeachment, a blocked-off road near Hongdae’s main roundabout is packed with around 3,000 Korean Right conservatives: many of them elderly, but joined by younger men livestreaming and young women raising their fists in unison.
For a moment, it could be hard to tell what country we’re in, were it not for the Korean flags waving just as high as the American ones. We’re in Seoul, specifically the Hongdae area, better known for its progressive crowd and art scene.
The elderly vendor doesn’t speak English, except for one phrase. “I love Trump,” she says softly, smiling as she points to a row of glossy campaign buttons. Donald Trump’s face gleams beside mugs featuring South Korea’s recently impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, cradling puppies.
Nearby, a man in his 30s unfurls an American flag that billows like a sail. Placards reading “Stop the steal!” echo slogans from the January 6 U.S. Capitol riots. When the speaker — a man in his 50s wearing a red cap — ends with a triumphant “Amen,” hands shoot into the air like it’s a Pentecostal revival.
Pro-Yoon rallies marked by MAGA hats and American flags have erupted weekly since January, after the former president — who was elected in 2022 by a razor-thin margin — declared martial law in December 2024. Claiming his actions were necessary to thwart a supposed North Korean threat, Yoon deployed troops to block a parliamentary vote. The backlash was swift: He was impeached in April and now awaits trial for inciting insurrection, a charge that still carries the death penalty on paper.
Since then, however, his movement has grown louder — and somehow more American. Just a week after his impeachment, Yoon himself appeared in a red cap that read “Make Korea Great Again.”
On June 3, voters will elect his replacement. There’s no runoff or transition period: The winner takes office immediately. The race pits two opposites against each other: Kim Moon-soo, a Yoon loyalist representing the People Power Party, and Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung.
Lee is likely to win. Just before early voting began Friday, a final poll had him ahead by a wide margin: 49.2 percent to Kim’s 36.8. A Democratic victory would mark a sharp break from Yoon’s hard-line rule and usher in progressive reforms almost overnight.
But still, the demonstrations continue. In Seoul’s plazas, thousands chant “Yoon Again!” every week, even though legally he can’t return to office. For them, this isn’t just about party politics. It’s a crusade: a distinctly Korean version of the MAGA mythos, fueled by stolen-election conspiracies, evangelical zeal, and Cold War-era fears.
