Geography of grievance: Migration, memory, discrimination, and political identity in South Korea

Regional identity continues to shape political behavior in South Korea, despite decades of democratization and internal migration. This study examines whether regional origin conditions the political association of perceived regional discrimination among migrants residing in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Using original survey data on migrants from Jeolla and Gyeongsang, the analysis shows that perceived discrimination is more strongly associated with Democratic Party attachment among Jeolla-origin respondents, while comparable experiences among Gyeongsang-origin respondents are associated more weakly with partisan consolidation. The findings suggest that historically institutionalized regional cleavages remain politically consequential even after relocation into a shared metropolitan environment.