The roots of the Korean far-right w/ Kevin Gray

In December of last year, the then South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol - of the right-wing People Power Party - attempted to impose martial law on the country in what was described as a 'self-coup'. Kevin Gray joins PTO to talk about his recent article in the New Left Review on the Korean far-right. We chatted about the background to the attempted coup and the history of the Korean far-right and broader conservative currents. Kevin explained the far-right's roots in the Japanese occupation of Korea and the role of the United States in supporting those conservative elements that collaborated in Japanese rule. We also talked about how the far-right has developed a capacity for large-scale, militant street protest and why it is that young Korean men are increasingly supportive of the far-right.