Working Paper

Institute for Future Strategy

IFS Working Paper 2026-01 (Vol. 5)

Social Polarization and National Integration in South Korea

Affective Polarization in South Korea: The Effects of Strong Partisanship and Internal Political Efficacy

Yeon Kyung Jeong (Senior Researcher, Institute for Future Strategy, Seoul National University)

This study examines the affective nature of political polarization in South Korea, arguing that it is characterized more by affective polarization than by differences in ideology or policy preferences. It analyzes the effect of the strength of party support on affective polarization and the mediating role of internal political efficacy. The central argument is that stronger party support increases internal political efficacy, which in turn reinforces affective polarization. Using data from the National Survey on Conflict Resolution and Social Integration in South Korea conducted by the Institute for Future Strategy at Seoul National University in December 2025, the study finds that the strength of party support is the strongest predictor of affective polarization, while the effects of ideological orientation and populist attitudes are relatively limited. In addition, internal political efficacy has a statistically significant mediating effect on the relationship between the strength of party support and affective polarization. These findings suggest that political polarization in South Korea is driven more by partisan attachment than by ideological polarization, and that internal political efficacy may function as a psychological mechanism that intensifies political division.

Keywords: affective polarization, strength of party support, partisanship, internal political efficacy, Korean politics