Just a few hundred metres away, however, the atmosphere outside the People Power Party’s (PPP) headquarters could not have been more different. There, a smaller group of far-right demonstrators clashed with police, their shouts of “rigged elections” and “resist the results” ringing out into the night. Some visibly shook with fury.
“The PPP has surrendered to a rigged election. I can’t believe they’ve sold off the country,” said a 40-year-old Seoul resident who voted for PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo.
This polarisation mirrors a deeper societal schism that now runs through South Korea’s families, workplaces and online communities.
“When I told my parents I voted for Lee Jae-myung, they called me the shame of Busan,” said Kim Ha-ru, a 20-year-old student. The port city, South Korea’s second largest, has long been a conservative stronghold.
“I told them they were backing a party that tried to stage a coup. I can’t understand them at all.”
