Myungji Yang
Biographic Data
| ID | 3876643 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Myungji Yang |
| GIVEN NAMES | Myungji |
| FAMILY NAME | Yang |
| SIGNATURE | YANG M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 39 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Against abandonment
The South Korean images predominant in mainstream media and academic discourses—represented by rapid economic success and the recent rise of the so-called K-culture, including K-pop, dramas, food
Reactionary Politics in South Korea
In December 2024, South Korean president Yoon Seok-yeol stunned the world by declaring martial law. More puzzling was that Yoon's insurrection unexpectedly gained substantial support from the ruling right-wing party and many citizens. Why do ordinary citizens support authoritarian leaders and martial law in a democratic country? What draws them to extreme actions and ideas? With the rise of illiberal, far-right politics across the globe, Reaction…
Camouflaged Extremism
Why Are Korean Millennials More Resentful of Inequality than Their Japanese Peers
While increasing social inequality and precarity is a common global phenomenon, the ways in which social inequality is felt, perceived, and responded to by young citizens differ from country to country. This paper investigates institutional contexts in which young people in Japan and South Korea make sense of social inequality in different ways: why, despite comparable levels of income inequality, do young Koreans feel more insecure about their f…
Strange bedfellows
Why and when do today's Far‐Right groups cooperate across national boundaries? This paper seeks to provide answers to these questions by examining a deviant rather than representative case: the transnational connections between right‐wing intellectuals in South Korea and Japan. Analysing the recent publication of a highly controversial and provocative book and the transnational politics around it, we emphasise the roles of right‐wing intellectual…
Between the Streets and the Assembly
When it comes to South Korean politics and democracy, there seem to be two contrasting images: One is vibrant social activism, from the militant student and labor protests of the 1980s to the massive anti-government candlelight rallies in 2016 and 2017. Unlike the outstanding record of these movements for social change, institutional politics lags far behind, often represented by two contentious parties and stalled legislation that completely fai…
The Politics of Parasite in South Korea
Over the quarter-century since the Asian financial crisis, social inequality has become more visible, and precariousness is now a part of daily life for many in South Korea. Examining patterns of disparity in different areas and the ways in which social discontent with increasing inequality is manifested and politicized will advance our understanding of the politics of social inequality—how perceived inequality leads to political preferences and …
The Specter of the Past
Through the case of the New Right movement in South Korea in the early 2000s, this article explores how history has become a battleground on which the Right tried to regain its political legitimacy in the postauthoritarian context. Analyzing disputes over historiography in recent decades, this article argues that conservative intellectuals-academics, journalists, and writers-play a pivotal role in constructing conservative historical narratives a…
Top-Down Democracy in South Korea
Defending “Liberal Democracy”? Why Older South Koreans Took to the Streets Against the 2016-17 Candlelight Protests
Through the case of anti-impeachment rallies held in South Korea in 2016-2017, this article examines why the large-scale, rightwing mobilization emerged in the midst of democratic and peaceful demonstrations. Analyzing the widespread emotions and narratives shared by protesters, I argue that rightwing elites and intellectuals mobilized civil society by evoking specific historical experiences that arouse intense fear and outrage among older citize…
Charles R. Kim. Youth for Nation
Throughout modern South Korean history, students have long played a central role in resisting the authoritarian state and fighting for democracy, from student activism in the 1980s and the June Democratic Uprising of 1987 to the recent candlelight protests in 2002, 2008, and 2016–2017. One might wonder how students became the main protagonists in the struggle against authoritarianism and social injustice, sometimes at the risk of their lives. Whi…
From Miracle to Mirage
The rise of ‘Gangnam style’
Focusing on the case of urban development in Gangnam, this article explores how middle-class identity based on residence in apartment complexes was created in South Korea beginning in the late 1970s. I argue that state policy, speculation, and exclusion were key ingredients in the making of the middle class in Gangnam. Many white-collar families became apartment owners through a government-subsidised apartment lottery programme, and subsequently …
The Making of the Urban Middle Class in South Korea (1961-1979)
This article examines the process through which the state nurtured urban middle-class formation during the Park Chung Hee regime in South Korea. While existing studies have focused on the size and characteristics of the middle class, few studies explore the political process or mechanisms through which the middle class was on the rise as a mainstream force. This article argues that urban middle-class formation was a political-ideological project …
The Specter of the Past
Through the case of the New Right movement in South Korea in the early 2000s, this article explores how history has become a battleground on which the Right tried to regain its political legitimacy in the postauthoritarian context. Analyzing disputes over historiography in recent decades, this article argues that conservative intellectuals-academics, journalists, and writers-play a pivotal role in constructing conservative historical narratives a…
Defending “Liberal Democracy”? Why Older South Koreans Took to the Streets Against the 2016-17 Candlelight Protests
Through the case of anti-impeachment rallies held in South Korea in 2016-2017, this article examines why the large-scale, rightwing mobilization emerged in the midst of democratic and peaceful demonstrations. Analyzing the widespread emotions and narratives shared by protesters, I argue that rightwing elites and intellectuals mobilized civil society by evoking specific historical experiences that arouse intense fear and outrage among older citize…
The rise of ‘Gangnam style’
Focusing on the case of urban development in Gangnam, this article explores how middle-class identity based on residence in apartment complexes was created in South Korea beginning in the late 1970s. I argue that state policy, speculation, and exclusion were key ingredients in the making of the middle class in Gangnam. Many white-collar families became apartment owners through a government-subsidised apartment lottery programme, and subsequently …
Strange bedfellows
Why and when do today's Far‐Right groups cooperate across national boundaries? This paper seeks to provide answers to these questions by examining a deviant rather than representative case: the transnational connections between right‐wing intellectuals in South Korea and Japan. Analysing the recent publication of a highly controversial and provocative book and the transnational politics around it, we emphasise the roles of right‐wing intellectual…
Top-Down Democracy in South Korea
Camouflaged Extremism
The Making of the Urban Middle Class in South Korea (1961-1979)
This article examines the process through which the state nurtured urban middle-class formation during the Park Chung Hee regime in South Korea. While existing studies have focused on the size and characteristics of the middle class, few studies explore the political process or mechanisms through which the middle class was on the rise as a mainstream force. This article argues that urban middle-class formation was a political-ideological project …
The Making of the Urban Middle Class in South Korea (1961-1979)
This article examines the process through which the state nurtured urban middle-class formation during the Park Chung Hee regime in South Korea. While existing studies have focused on the size and characteristics of the middle class, few studies explore the political process or mechanisms through which the middle class was on the rise as a mainstream force. This article argues that urban middle-class formation was a political-ideological project …
From Miracle to Mirage
The rise of ‘Gangnam style’
Focusing on the case of urban development in Gangnam, this article explores how middle-class identity based on residence in apartment complexes was created in South Korea beginning in the late 1970s. I argue that state policy, speculation, and exclusion were key ingredients in the making of the middle class in Gangnam. Many white-collar families became apartment owners through a government-subsidised apartment lottery programme, and subsequently …
Charles R. Kim. Youth for Nation
Throughout modern South Korean history, students have long played a central role in resisting the authoritarian state and fighting for democracy, from student activism in the 1980s and the June Democratic Uprising of 1987 to the recent candlelight protests in 2002, 2008, and 2016–2017. One might wonder how students became the main protagonists in the struggle against authoritarianism and social injustice, sometimes at the risk of their lives. Whi…
Top-Down Democracy in South Korea
Defending “Liberal Democracy”? Why Older South Koreans Took to the Streets Against the 2016-17 Candlelight Protests
Through the case of anti-impeachment rallies held in South Korea in 2016-2017, this article examines why the large-scale, rightwing mobilization emerged in the midst of democratic and peaceful demonstrations. Analyzing the widespread emotions and narratives shared by protesters, I argue that rightwing elites and intellectuals mobilized civil society by evoking specific historical experiences that arouse intense fear and outrage among older citize…
The Specter of the Past
Through the case of the New Right movement in South Korea in the early 2000s, this article explores how history has become a battleground on which the Right tried to regain its political legitimacy in the postauthoritarian context. Analyzing disputes over historiography in recent decades, this article argues that conservative intellectuals-academics, journalists, and writers-play a pivotal role in constructing conservative historical narratives a…
The Politics of Parasite in South Korea
Over the quarter-century since the Asian financial crisis, social inequality has become more visible, and precariousness is now a part of daily life for many in South Korea. Examining patterns of disparity in different areas and the ways in which social discontent with increasing inequality is manifested and politicized will advance our understanding of the politics of social inequality—how perceived inequality leads to political preferences and …
Why Are Korean Millennials More Resentful of Inequality than Their Japanese Peers
While increasing social inequality and precarity is a common global phenomenon, the ways in which social inequality is felt, perceived, and responded to by young citizens differ from country to country. This paper investigates institutional contexts in which young people in Japan and South Korea make sense of social inequality in different ways: why, despite comparable levels of income inequality, do young Koreans feel more insecure about their f…
Strange bedfellows
Why and when do today's Far‐Right groups cooperate across national boundaries? This paper seeks to provide answers to these questions by examining a deviant rather than representative case: the transnational connections between right‐wing intellectuals in South Korea and Japan. Analysing the recent publication of a highly controversial and provocative book and the transnational politics around it, we emphasise the roles of right‐wing intellectual…
Between the Streets and the Assembly
When it comes to South Korean politics and democracy, there seem to be two contrasting images: One is vibrant social activism, from the militant student and labor protests of the 1980s to the massive anti-government candlelight rallies in 2016 and 2017. Unlike the outstanding record of these movements for social change, institutional politics lags far behind, often represented by two contentious parties and stalled legislation that completely fai…
Reactionary Politics in South Korea
In December 2024, South Korean president Yoon Seok-yeol stunned the world by declaring martial law. More puzzling was that Yoon's insurrection unexpectedly gained substantial support from the ruling right-wing party and many citizens. Why do ordinary citizens support authoritarian leaders and martial law in a democratic country? What draws them to extreme actions and ideas? With the rise of illiberal, far-right politics across the globe, Reaction…
Camouflaged Extremism
Against abandonment
The South Korean images predominant in mainstream media and academic discourses—represented by rapid economic success and the recent rise of the so-called K-culture, including K-pop, dramas, food
Political science (10 works) · Law (9 works) · Politics (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Democracy (8 works) · Political economy (6 works) · Asian Culture and Media Studies (5 works) · Authoritarianism (5 works) · Gender Studies (5 works) · History (5 works)