Two men stand on the roof of a white Hyundai van. Above them, gleaming skyscrapers, an ice-blue sky. Below them, a crowd of 2,000 people, raised fists, smartphone cameras. And a sea of flags. Many South Korean flags, but also U.S. flags. Some are as big as billboards. They flutter in the wind as if they want to replace the horizon. In between, banners read: “Yoon again,” “Real president.” Caps with the slogan “Stop the Steal,” jackets printed with “MKGA,” short for “Make Korea Great Again.”

The two men on the van begin their speeches. Their names are Park Joon Young and Sim Jae Hong.

The “Freedom University” has once again called for a demonstration, as it has on more than 50 Saturdays over the past year. It is not a university, but a movement that experts classify as far-right. It calls itself conservative. It has sprung up at about 40 universities across the country. Twenty to thirty young people are currently actively involved, members say. When they organize protest marches, sometimes thousands show up. The young. The old. Women too, but mostly men. And Park and Sim are their stars.

Not only in South Korea, but also in other countries such as the U.S., Germany, and Hungary, young men are becoming radicalized as they sense that the old social contract no longer holds. Their attitude is fueled by similar feelings, a mixture of resentment, powerlessness, and fear of the future. The students at the “Freedom University” not only copy the aesthetics of U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement but also adopt its political logic: distrust of the media, the courts, and election results, and the notion that a strong man can save their country.

At the same time, the divide between young men and young women is greater in South Korea than in almost any other wealthy country. Women often earn less and are less likely to advance. Young men, in turn, feel they are wasting time due to military service and competitive pressure and that they are not taken seriously by women. The conflict has long since spilled over into private life: into relationships, marriages, and the question of whether to have children at all. The country has the lowest birth rate of all wealthy industrialized nations. Movements like the “Freedom University” are emerging precisely from this rift.

Read the full story here.

Excerpts from the story by Cathrin Schmiegel with contribution from Lee So Jeong (translated from German to English)

Commissioned and published by Der Spiegel.

February 2026

Photographed in Seoul, South Korea