Digital Democracy and Gendered Narratives: A Comparative Study of Korean Digital Political Media in 2023 and 2025

Digital media has emerged as a significant source of news and information, playing a critical role in shaping public understanding of politics and current affairs. Previous research shows that the digital media’s influence becomes especially pronounced during a national crisis. This paper investigates how the formulation and consumption of news changes in response to intensified political tension, focusing on South Korea. Employing two complementary methods, conversation analysis and qualitative content analysis, this research examines how gender roles were constructed and performed within digital media formats across two periods: January to March of the politically stable year 2023, and the same period in 2025, following the attempted presidential declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024. The analysis considers political news programs on YouTube and podcasts adopting conversational formats, where political discussions unfold through interaction between hosts and guests. The findings reveal that while digital platforms are often considered as more democratic than traditional media, they have not been entirely liberated from conventional journalistic norms, as traditional gender biases were often reinforced. However, the 2024–2025 political crisis disrupted these patterns. The crisis served as a rupture strong enough to shake deeply rooted gender dynamics and affirm that deviation from traditional roles was not only possible but necessary. Women’s visibility increased dramatically, they were given more opportunities to speak, their insights were more valued, and their expertise more consistently respected. Ultimately, this research demonstrates that although digital media has long replicated conventional gender stereotypes, it also holds potential to catalyze more inclusive public discourse and open new possibilities for gendered agency.