Impeachment and Early Presidential Election Lead to Division... 'Political Polarization' Penetrates Everyday Life

[Financial News] Recently, political polarization has intensified through the impeachment situation and early presidential election. The political sphere demonizes opposing camps, and inflammatory and provocative content spreads through online platforms like YouTube, deepening the divide. Experts point out that there should be a gradual effort to respect each other and move towards alleviating conflicts.
On the 13th, according to the '2025 Polarization Perception Survey' conducted by the East Asia Institute (EAI) on 1,514 adults, the disfavor rate towards major parties was 54.1% for the Democratic Party and 68.7% for the People Power Party. This is an increase of 10.4%p and 20.9%p respectively compared to four years ago. Particularly, 93.5% of Democratic Party supporters and 94.6% of People Power Party supporters were found to have a disfavor towards the opposing party. Political polarization has thus deepened into emotional and factional confrontation.
This polarization became more pronounced through the impeachment situation and presidential election. Conflicts due to differences in political views frequently appear even among family, lovers, and friends. In fact, on social networking services (SNS), posts such as "I cut ties with a friend due to political differences," "I was blocked by a friend because of different political views," and "I have big fights every time I talk politics with my partner" are often posted.
In extreme cases, conflicts can lead to violence. Last month in Busan, a man in his 20s was arrested by the police for assaulting a taxi driver after asking, "Did you vote for the president? Which party did you vote for?" and violently attacking when the driver avoided answering, under charges of assaulting a driver under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. There was also an incident where a man in his 50s was arrested by the police for threatening an acquaintance with a weapon during an argument over the presidential election results.
Experts saw the political strife and changes in the media environment as major causes that fueled polarization. Professor Seol Dong-hoon of Jeonbuk National University's Department of Sociology said, "The political sphere provoked by demonizing the opposing camp, and the process of fighting back was repeated and accumulated, leading to entrenched conflicts," adding, "In addition, YouTube channels aiming for views have fueled conflicts, ultimately leading society to become more extreme."
The problem is that if such political polarization deepens, the culture of accepting election results, a core value of democracy, may not take root, leading to social division. Kim Chul-hyun, a special professor at Kyungil University and political commentator, pointed out, "Regardless of who one supports, all citizens should participate in national governance, but in the current situation, those who do not support may act uncooperatively towards national governance," adding, "Such behavior ultimately becomes a factor that harms national unity."
Experts advised that to resolve such political polarization, a change in politicians' attitudes and the establishment of a culture centered on tolerance are urgently needed.
Professor Lee Jun-han of Incheon University's Department of Political Science and Diplomacy said, "Overall, political culture should be established focusing on tolerance, communication, and compromise rather than violence or conflict," adding, "To resolve the issue of political polarization, politicians should first take the lead in bringing about substantial changes."
Professor Ha Sang-eung of Sogang University's Department of Political Science and Diplomacy also emphasized, "Politicians' remarks and attitudes have a significant impact on society as a whole," adding, "Political behavior that encourages a violent atmosphere and extreme phenomena must disappear."

welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Kim Hyung-gu reporters