Beyond Collective Action: Identifying Institutional, Political, and Discursive Limitations in the 2016 Candlelight Movement

Abstract

Since the late 1990s, candlelight demonstrations have emerged as a distinctive mode of democratic protest in South Korea, most notably exemplified by the 2016 Candlelight Demonstration. This movement mobilized a broad civic coalition in support of presidential impeachment and successfully achieved a change of government, becoming emblematic of democratic agency in contemporary Korean political history. Six years after the conclusion of this civic movement, the present study employs documentary analysis to critically reassess its substantive outcomes, political advancements, and inherent limitations. Addressing key research questions—including the distinctive characteristics of the 2016 demonstration and its role in fostering democratic revolutionary change—this paper concludes that the movement established a model of light-touch social mobilization, yet one characterized by limited replicability and scalability. Its enduring impact on South Korea’s democratic governance structure remains marginal.