Abstract

The presence of social movements is an indication of how civic engagement is working in a society, and judging from the increase in civic organisations in South Korea, the country is moving towards consolidating democracy. To support their rights and voice their concerns the people in South Korea have taken to the streets for a number of social problems, using the Internet and social media to organise events and mobilise participants. Among the most notable movements are the Candlelight protests, for instance, on the import of U.S. beef (2008) with an estimated attendance of seven hundred protesters and the Sewol ferry disaster (2014) with an estimated attendance of over a million protesters.