TOKYO/SEOUL 鈥 In the week before his fatal shooting, right-wing US political activist Charlie Kirk cheered the boom of conservative young men in South Korea and warned about a 鈥済lobalist menace鈥 in Tokyo on his first speaking tour of Asia.
Kirk, 31, who helped amplify Republican President Donald Trump鈥檚 agenda to young voters with often inflammatory rhetoric focused on issues such as gender and immigration, was shot in the neck on Wednesday at a speaking event at a Utah university.
In Seoul on Friday, he spoke about how he 鈥渂rought Trump to victory鈥, while addressing Build Up Korea 2025, a conservative conference that has previously featured speakers including Donald Trump Jr.
鈥淭he phenomenon of young people, especially men, turning conservative is occurring simultaneously across multiple continents,鈥 Kirk told the audience, who waved their phones and chanted 鈥楿SA鈥 as he entered the stage to an elaborate pyrotechnic display.
鈥淚t is not unique to the US, which is why it deserves more attention. That is why I chose South Korea as my first Asian destination.鈥
The event also included a worship concert, a session on 鈥淗ow Christians Can Lead the World鈥 and a video message from American diaper company Everylife, which says it has a 鈥減ro-life mission鈥 and urged young South Koreans to 鈥渕ake more babies鈥.
Recent elections spanning North America, Europe and Asia show young men voting for right-wing parties and young women leaning left, a break from pre-pandemic years when both tended to vote for progressives.
Opinion polls show the gender divide is particularly stark in South Korea, where the liberal Democratic Party wrested back power after the conservative former president was removed from office and jailed over a bungled attempt to impose martial law.
COMMITTED 鈥楥OMRADE鈥
After Seoul, Kirk travelled to Tokyo where he spoke at a symposium hosted by the upstart Sanseito party, which made its political breakthrough in a July upper house vote warning about a 鈥渟ilent invasion鈥 of immigrants.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited … to learn and to hopefully invigorate the people of your great nation to keep fighting this globalist menace,鈥 Kirk said in an interview with a Sanseito lawmaker posted on YouTube before the event.
The party鈥檚 leader, Sohei Kamiya, said he was 鈥渟tunned and heartbroken鈥 at the news of Kirk鈥檚 death in a post on X on Thursday, calling him a 鈥渃omrade committed to building the future with us鈥.
鈥淲e had promised to meet again at his year-end event and had begun to imagine the work we would take on together,鈥 Kamiya said.
Speaking this week on his podcast about his Asia trip, Kirk said: 鈥淭he same things we have been fighting for here – whether it be lawfare in South Korea or mass migration in Japan – this is a worldwide phenomenon.鈥
Japan鈥檚 foreign-born residents account for just 3% of the population, a far lower proportion than in the United States and Europe, but record numbers of tourists in recent years have made foreigners more visible in major cities. 鈥 Reuters
