After the end of World War II in 1945, military rule and dictatorships were frequent in the country till 1979. Now, South Korea has an active civil society with a large network of activists ready to jealously guard any attempt at democratic back sliding.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s late night announcement of emergency martial law was major political miscalculation by the South Korean leader. He appears to have acted on a whim with no proper planning or understanding of people’s sentiments. Without the backing of the army, the President was left high and dry. The opposition is now placing two stark options before President Yoon: Resign or face impeachment.
“We’ve submitted an impeachment motion prepared urgently,” representatives for six opposition parties including the main Democratic Party said at a live press briefing, adding they would discuss when to put it to a vote. Some say the vote may be taken as early as Friday.
Though he revoked the order within six hours following the veto by 190 lawmakers that hastily gathered in the National Assembly late Tuesday night, Yoon’s action sent alarm bells ringing not just in Seoul but across the world. The decision of the parliamentarians was unanimous. The 300-strong National Assembly is controlled by the opposition.
The US, a close allay of South Korea, was tracking developments minute by minute; as was China and North Korea. Relations with the North had deteriorated under Yoon, a right-wing conservative who is a harsh critic of the Communist regime in Pyongyang. His invoking of North Korea while attacking the opposition in his televised address was an attempt to paint the entire opposition as treacherous. But the people of South Korea saw through his ruse as he did not provide any evidence to back his claims of Pyongyang’s involvement.
Yoon, a former Prosecutor and first-time politician and president, has exposed his inexperience and his inability to read the mood of the nation. South Korea is a vibrant democracy and citizens have no desire to go back to military rule, which the country suffered when Chun Doo-wham, a military general, seized power in 1979. After the end of World War II in 1945, military rule and dictatorships were frequent in the country. General Chun was responsible for firing on unarmed student protestors in the town of Gwangju and cracking down on all demonstrations. Martial law was lifted in 1981 and since then South Korea had not looked back. With democracy growing deep roots in the country, and the nation aware of what military regimes are about, the people are willing to come out and take a stand against going back to the old times. The fact that hundreds of people gathered around the National Assembly in the middle of the night is a clear indication that citizens are willing to fight to protect democracy. South Korea has an active civil society with a large network of activists ready to jealously guard any attempt at democratic back sliding. Students have a history of taking part in protests to safeguard democratic rights. Peaceful candlelight protests removed President Park Geun-hye in 2016-2017.
Yoon has been in trouble since the beginning of his term. He won the Presidential elections of 2022 with the narrowest of margins and has been an unpopular leader. Things went from bad to worse after the opposition parties were able to capture the majority of seats during the 2024 parliamentary elections. He and the opposition have been on collision path from day one. The President had also fallen out with the leader of his own People Power Party. Moreover he has been incompetent as President and faced allegations of corruption and conflict of interest. His wife has been accused of manipulating the stock market, accepting a Dior bag as bribe and on several other charges. Last month the President vetoed an attempt by the opposition to initiate an investigation on his wife.
"A right-wing wannabe authoritarian president—a leader who attacks the press, is accused of abusing power for personal gain, uses his power to block investigations into his family’s potential corruption, hopes to stay in office to avoid heading to prison, and only seems to have concepts of a plan to address his nation’s inflation and health care…..’’ is how the Atlantic described the beleaguered leader.
The failed attempt at power-grab by the President in one of the more advanced economies of East Asia sent the region into shock. Luckily so far the situation appears under control with President Yoon now fighting for his political survival. Unless he pulls a rabbit out of the bag, Yoon’s career as a political leader is over.