Park Noja, on 2030s who said they were disappointed with Moon administration: "They were originally close to the far right"

Criticism of 2030 Generation Supporting Seoul Mayor Candidate Oh Se-hoon
"Easily Accepts Far-Right Propaganda Immersed in Neoliberalism"
"Claims This Social Discourse Space Is Dominated by the Far Right"

Professor Park Noja, Korean Studies, University of Oslo / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Controversy has erupted after Professor Park Noja, a Russian-born Korean studies professor at the University of Oslo who naturalized in Korea in 2001, referred to some members of the 2030 generation who expressed support for Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's Seoul mayoral candidate, as "far-right."

On the 3rd, Professor Park shared a link to an article about Oh's campaign on his Facebook, stating, "In my guess, those making such remarks are not 'disappointed Moon supporters' but rather people who originally stood on the far-right side."

The article shared by Professor Park contained statements from some members of the 2030 generation who climbed onto Oh's campaign vehicle on the previous day (the 2nd) to express their support. According to the article, these young people voiced their disappointment, saying things like, "The way this administration has acted over the past four years is worse than the previous one," "They said they would create a country we've never experienced before, but look at the results," and "I won't belittle our 20s' (lack of) experience."

Regarding this, Professor Park explained, "For those born and raised under the neoliberal regime, it might be relatively easy to absorb far-right propaganda soaked in the dominant neoliberal ideology," adding, "If one belongs to the beneficiary side of the neoliberal game, the 'fairness' they think of is less about civic 'justice' and more about rationalizing the outcome of competition without questioning the competition process itself."

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor (third from the left), is standing on the podium with Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the People’s Party (second from the left), and young people at the COEX East Gate Plaza in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 28th of last month, raising their hands together. / Photo by Yonhap News

He continued, "Logically, young victims of this society disappointed with the Moon administration should lean left rather than to the far right," and argued, "The discourse space of this society is already structured mainly around concepts distorted by the far-right, while the left is fragmented, lacks presence, and has very weak media power."

He further pointed out, "A tragic irony is unfolding where a significant number of neoliberal victims are now unwittingly contributing with their own hands to the birth of a future neoliberal corrupt regime."

Opinions among netizens were divided over Professor Park's claims. Some expressed agreement and concern, saying things like, "I agree," "The future of the 20s looks bleak," and "The purge of deep-rooted evils might be out of reach."

On the other hand, other netizens criticized Professor Park for "cherry-picking" (selectively choosing only what suits him). They argued that it is unfair to label the relative deprivation felt by the youth as "far-right" without discussing the current administration's policy failures, corruption, and double standards.

They criticized, saying, "Would the younger generation lean left after reading such posts?" "It's not that the youth are becoming far-right; it's that the current administration has lost their trust," and "So if you don't stand on the left, you become a failed 20-something? That's absurd."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.