Naming the enemy: The unsettling return of ideological litmus tests in Korea

During South Korea's recent local elections, candidates from liberal parties faced a viral "main enemy challenge." This tactic involved abruptly asking them to identify the nation's "main enemy." Those who hesitated or appeared flustered were often labeled "pro-North Korea."

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Who do you think is South Korea’s main enemy?

Conversely, candidates from the conservative People Power Party who named "North Korea" as the enemy were praised for their confidence. Clips of prominent Democratic Party candidates struggling with the question circulated widely online, drawing comparisons to historical ideological tests.

The "main enemy challenge" is reportedly the brainchild of young conservatives associated with the right-wing Freedom University group, supporters of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. This mirrors his past campaign's use of slogans like "Abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family!" and "Our main enemy is North Korea."

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How is this any different from the ideological litmus tests Christians were subjected to in Edo Japan, when they were forced to step on likenesses of Jesus or Mary to prove that they were not Christians?

This trend of questioning the "main enemy" in 2026 is described as unsettling, evoking historical instances of discrimination against Koreans in Japan. North Korea was officially designated South Korea's "main enemy" in a 1995 defense white paper, a designation later removed in 2004 due to controversy.

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This backwards trend of asking who our country’s “main enemy” is in the year 2026 is unsettling, to say the least.