ABSTRACT
The Flag-Carriers’ Struggle is the counter-movement to the 2016–2017 Candlelight Revolution. Flag-carriers found Park Geun-Hye’s impeachment and Moon Jae-In’s inauguration incomprehensible. They argued that Park was innocent, called for her release from prison, and claimed that Moon’s election was illegitimate. An analysis of speeches made during conservative counterprotests between 2016 and 2019 illustrates that these activists rejected a new era in South Korean political and economic life. Their speeches conveyed a clear desire to have the legacy of the industrialization generation recognized in contemporary South Korea. These flag-carriers are evidence that a marginalized set of desires and aspirations about South Korean nationalism and identity coexist alongside the progressive views of the Candlelight protesters.
