Gender as a Common Enemy: Grammars of Transpacific Hate Rhetoric in Post-December 3 South Korea

This paper examines the role of gender discourse in contemporary South Korean politics and religion, focusing on the administration of Yoon Seok-yeol and the broader transnational anti-gender movement. While Yoon has not explicitly addressed LGBTQ policies, his statements on gender inequality reflect a broader effort to delegitimize feminist and queer activism by framing them as foreign impositions. His dismantling of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family aligns with global conservative narratives that seek to reinforce traditional heteropatriarchal norms. This study contextualizes gender discourse among Yoon’s evangelical supporters and juxtaposes the affective and aesthetic dimensions of protest cultures, analyzing both queer/feminist/progressive anti-Yoon movements and conservative pro-Yoon demonstrations. Drawing on Butler (2024) and Connolly (2008), this paper situates South Korea’s gender politics within transpacific networks of religion, militarism, economics, diaspora, race, and affect, highlighting the interconnected nature of political struggles across national boundaries.