Blaming feminists, claiming pain: Anti-feminist discourse and electoral mobilization by New Men's Solidarity in South Korea

Abstract

This article investigates how anti-feminist movements transform male grievance into political influence, focusing on New Men's Solidarity (NMS), a YouTube influencer-based organization in South Korea. Despite persistent gender inequality, a growing number of young South Korean men view themselves as victims of gender discrimination. This discontent—particularly prominent among men in their 20s and 30s (the “2030 men”)—has become a powerful electoral force, prompting mainstream parties to adopt anti-feminist rhetoric during the 2022 presidential election. I demonstrate that NMS plays a central role in organizing and amplifying this grievance through strategic framing that legitimizes male victimhood, demonizes feminism, and presents the group as moral defenders of “true” gender equality. By portraying feminists as an entrenched status quo and demanding the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, NMS frames gender politics as a zero-sum battle over fairness, freedom, and social order. Their emotional appeals emphasize self-sacrifice, underdog heroism, and the protection of future generations. Different from existing studies which analyze digital anti-feminism from follower sentiment in the manosphere, this study shifts the analytical focus to the framing strategies of an anti-feminist group. Based on a qualitative content analysis of 76 YouTube videos produced by NMS during South Korea's 2022 presidential election campaign period, this article reveals how influencer-led digital anti-feminist movements translate affective discontent into coordinated political action.