@article{ART003309164},
author={InSul Park and Kang WooJin},
title={Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands},
journal={Analyses & Alternatives},
issn={2508-822X},
year={2026},
volume={10},
number={1},
pages={70-106},
doi={10.22931/aanda.2026.10.1.003}
TY - JOUR
AU - InSul Park
AU - Kang WooJin
TI - Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands
JO - Analyses & Alternatives
PY - 2026
VL - 10
IS - 1
PB - Korea Consensus Institute
SP - 70
EP - 106
SN - 2508-822X
AB - This study analyzes the characteristics and perceptions of youth participants in Daegu’s pro-impeachment “lightstick protests” that emerged after the martial law declaration on December 3, 2024. Drawing on two on-site face-to-face surveys conducted on Dongseong-ro—December 14, 2024 (the first wave, N=72) and January 18, 2025 (the second wave, N=110)—it examines who participated, how they joined, why they participated, and what they demanded. The results show that participants were predominantly young women and included diverse occupational groups such as students, job seekers, and young workers, with relatively high proportions of lower-and middle-status respondents in subjective socioeconomic status. They generally leaned progressive and reported comparatively high political efficacy. Mobilization relied less on organized recruitment by parties or organizations and more on SNS-based diffusion and loose networks; familiar fandom repertoires—lightsticks, placards, and hashtags—were adapted to the protest setting, lowering participation barriers and facilitating collective gathering. Many participants also evaluated the “lightstick mode” as a legitimate and effective form of protest. Participation was driven by perceiving martial law as a serious threat to democratic norms and by a civic sense of responsibility to defend democracy, combined with accumulated dissatisfaction with policy failures under the Yoon Suk Yeol government. Beyond demanding impeachment, participants called for transformation of local politics, restoration of democracy, and expansion of political representation. The study empirically demonstrates how youth form political subjectivity through nonconventional participation even under constraints posed by a conservative-dominant regional context.
KW - December 3 Martial Law Declaration; Lightstick Protests; Regional Youth; Political Representation;Non-Conventional Political Participation
DO - 10.22931/aanda.2026.10.1.003
ER -
InSul Park and Kang WooJin. (2026). Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands. Analyses & Alternatives, 10(1), 70-106.
InSul Park and Kang WooJin. 2026, "Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands", Analyses & Alternatives, vol.10, no.1 pp.70-106. Available from: doi:10.22931/aanda.2026.10.1.003
InSul Park, Kang WooJin "Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands" Analyses & Alternatives 10.1 pp.70-106 (2026) : 70.
InSul Park, Kang WooJin. Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands. 2026; 10(1), 70-106. Available from: doi:10.22931/aanda.2026.10.1.003
InSul Park and Kang WooJin. "Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands" Analyses & Alternatives 10, no.1 (2026) : 70-106.doi: 10.22931/aanda.2026.10.1.003
InSul Park; Kang WooJin. Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands. Analyses & Alternatives, 10(1), 70-106. doi: 10.22931/aanda.2026.10.1.003
InSul Park; Kang WooJin. Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands. Analyses & Alternatives. 2026; 10(1) 70-106. doi: 10.22931/aanda.2026.10.1.003
InSul Park, Kang WooJin. Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands. 2026; 10(1), 70-106. Available from: doi:10.22931/aanda.2026.10.1.003
InSul Park and Kang WooJin. "Lightsticks and Youth Politics in Daegu: Patterns of Participation, Collective Action, and Political Demands" Analyses & Alternatives 10, no.1 (2026) : 70-106.doi: 10.22931/aanda.2026.10.1.003
