McCarthyism took shape during the post-Cold war period, and McCarthyism in South Korea was formed during the post-democratization era. The collapse of the Cold war system around the world, and democratization in South Korea, made the Korean conservative groups feel threatened, and concerned that they might lose their privileges and advantages. Such worries spreaded through conservative major mass media. In their eyes, Kim Il-seong"s death in 1994 provided a security crisis and an opportunity at the very same time.
There were two issues in 1994; the issue of whether or not to officially pay condolence to the deceased Kim Il-seong, and the Seogang university president Park Hong’s remarks of criticizing people or groups for allegedly embracing the “Juche” ideology of North Korea. Although these were no criminal issues, and were not to be punished under a democratic system, these issues created a critical watershed triggering serious critiques against progressive groups which wanted to tolerate North Korea for the prospect of a peaceful unification. As the critique spreaded, not only conservative mass media but also the prosecutor"s office aligned themselves with this atmosphere.
This phenomenon was caused by a perception of supposed internal and external crises from the conservative groups, just like it was in the 1940s and ‘50s America. Unlike the U.S. where McCarthyism lasted for about 4 years, the phenomenon in South Korea continued for more than 20 years. And the reinstatement of a conservative group as a ruling party in 2008 only strengthened and extended McCarthyism in South Korea.