In the past week, the political crisis in South Korea has shocked many observers around the world and eroded the country’s reputation as one of the most successful consolidated democracies in East Asia. President Yoon Suk Yeol, facing deep unpopularity and political gridlock, and with his family under investigation for corruption, declared martial law in the middle of the night. The declaration only lasted a few hours, as the legislature, including members of Yoon’s own party, quickly overturned it, as the country’s constitution allows.
As a result, Yoon quickly withdrew the order and apologized, but so far he has not resigned, and efforts to impeach him have been unsuccessful so far due to his own party’s decision to not show up for the vote. Over the weekend, more details of Yoon’s plan emerged, including lists of politicians slated to be arrested. It seems what amounted to an attempted self-coup failed in large part due to lackluster implementation of Yoon’s order by some members of the military.
Yoon’s sudden and capricious decision has permanently tarnished him as a leader. While South Korean democracy had already proven resilient after the impeachment and imprisonment of the last conservative leader, former President Park Geun-hye, in 2017, this latest turn of events shows that deep political polarization has only gotten worse since then. If, when and how Yoon will exit is still unresolved. Experts worry that if the crisis deepens, he may be emboldened to enact martial law a second time, putting the military into an impossible situation.