It’s a powerful South Korean campaign, but we’ll get into all that momentarily, for now let’s talk about why something more than 6,000 miles away is having an influence on the US.
In order to do so we’ll run through some events that have shaped modern politics in the nation, and the biggest thing to have happened in the country since the turn of the decade is Donald Trump becoming President-elect.
On Wednesday (November 6), Trump won the election by landslide and is set to become the 47th president after crucially taking five of the seven swing states from rival Vice-President Kamala Harris, while leading the count in the remaining two – Nevada and Arizona, which have yet to be called.
Taking to the stage at his campaign’s HQ in West Palm Beach, Florida, former president said he had ‘made history’ as he declared victory even before he officially he won, adding: “This will truly be the golden age for America.”
President-elect Donald Trump won the election by a landslide (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Donald Trump’s stance on reproductive rights
You’ve probably heard of Roe v Wade, but if you haven’t I’ll quickly brief you – in 1973, a historic decision was passed in the same court it was eventually ousted, almost 50 years later.
It meant that women in all walks of life nationwide had the constitutional right to have an abortion.
But in one of Trump’s final moves in charge of the country as the 45th president, he nominated three of the justices in the Supreme Court that voted to void abortion rights.
Harris was in favour of vetoing the 2022 Roe v Wade decision, but Trump’s stance is a bit foggier.
Speaking during a debate in September, he said when asked would he veto a ban: “I’m not signing a ban. And there’s no reason to sign a ban. Because we’ve gotten what everybody wanted.
“Democrats, Republicans and everybody else and every legal scholar wanted it to be brought back into the states. And the states are voting. And it may take a little time, but for 52 years this issue has torn our country apart.”
Later adding: “And as far as the abortion ban, no, I’m not in favor of abortion ban. But it doesn’t matter because this issue has now been taken over by the states.”
President-elect Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris discuss abortion laws during their first debate in September (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
What is the 4b movement?
Although it is not clear when it originated, it is believed to have started in 2001 and by 2022 when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was elected it gathered pace amongst women.
It came as the 63-year-old pledged as part of his campaign to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality, blaming the nation’s low birth rate on feminism.
It is a vow to not get with men with the ‘4b’ meaning ‘four nos’ – no dating men, no sex with men, no marrying men and no childbirth.
South Korean women staging a monthly protest against secretly-filmed spycam pornography in Seoul, back in 2018 (JUNG HAWON/AFP via Getty Images)
How has Trump’s win impacted interest in the movement?
Since Trump took to the stage to declare his win shortly after 2am on Wednesday (November 6), the term started gathering pace with more and more people searching ‘4b movement’ on Google.
The traction has came from one Tweet in particular that has been viewed more than 20 million times on Twitter alone, and screenshots of it have been shared on every social media platform.
It read: “Ladies, we need to start considering the 4B movement like the women in South Korea and give America a severely sharp birth rate decline: no marriage, no childbirth, no dating men, no sex with men.
“We can’t let these men have the last laugh… we need to bite back.”
If women get behind the movement it could result in a drastically lower birth rate in the US despite it already sitting at a record low of 54.5 births for every 1,000 females aged 15 to 44, according to data collated last year by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
“Every single day I will be fighting for you, with every single breath in my body. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that children deserve,” Trump said.
“And that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age for America.”
As Trump declared he would ‘make America great again’, he sat four electoral college votes from victory.
Donald Trump has already declared victory (Sky News)
The Republicans haven’t been announced as winners just yet as the presidential race has yet to be called.
Though they have taken control of the Senate, something Trump touched on during his speech.
“They were tough races… the number of victories in the Senate was absolutely incredible,” he added.
“It also looks like we’ll be keeping control of the House of Representatives.”
Trump also thanked his wife, Melania, stating she has done a ‘great job’ and ‘works very hard’.
His running mate, JD Vance, also addressed supporters while on stage in Florida.
“I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America,” Vance said.
“Under president Trump’s leadership, we’re never going to stop fighting for you, for your dreams, for the future of your children.
“And after the greatest political comeback in American history, we’re going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history – under Donald Trump’s leadership.”
The presidential race has yet to be called (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
One of the key states Trump has taken overnight is Pennsylvania, with victory there seen as the keys to the White House.
As Trump said during a rally in September: “If we win Pennsylvania, we win the whole thing. It’s very simple.”
An election official revealed to CNN that ‘at least 182,000 registered voters’ in Pennsylvania cast their ballots early on in the election process.
Although, they noted that was prior to the city picking up the remaining votes cast in-person, and votes made at drop-off locations are still to be collected.
In last two presidential elections, Pennsylvania has been considered the most likely tipping-point state and holds 19 electoral votes.
The 78-year-old Republican shocked the world as he took the key battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan from the Democratic nominee – while notably taking four of the five electoral votes in the hotly-contested state of Nebraska.
Trump said it would be a ‘golden age’ for America as he declared his victory, meanwhile, Harris said: “The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for.
“But hear me when I say the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people.”
There were drinks spilt up and down the country, but not everyone was as jubilant as Trump’s faithful, with many a celeb having reacted – and in some cases even saying they’re fleeing the US due to Trump’s win.
President-elect Donald Trump will take charge of the US once again on January 20, 2025 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Without further ado, these are all the Hollywood stars who have said they’re on the first plane out.
