Abstract: South Korea faced an attempted coup in December by President Yoon Suk Yeol with the enactment of martial law. Fortunately the South Korean National Assembly and opposition party were able to overturn and impeach Yoon. What does this mean for South Korean democracy? Where does it stand now with the upcoming decision of the Constitutional Court?
Situation
For South Korea, the months of December and January have been a turbulent time for the country’s young democracy. President Yoon Suk Yeol, after months of difficulty getting his conservative People Power Party’s legislation through the National Assembly, declared martial law on December 3rd of 2024. He sent soldiers to surround the National Assembly building however there were enough members to squeeze in and lift the martial law order.
Shortly after the swearing in of Han Duck-soo as acting President, he was quickly removed and replaced with Choi Sang-mok.
Ever since Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment by the National Assembly, he has been indicted with rebellion as a result of his unlawful enactment of martial law. This development led to a standoff between the investigators and the presidential security force at the President’s residence in early January. Eventually Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested.
Now the fate of Yoon Suk Yeol now lies in the hands of the South Korean courts to decide whether to uphold the impeachment or not.
Case of Democratic Erosion?
This is absolutely a case of democratic erosion as the impeached leader of South Korea was clearly anti-democratic as he tried to use unlawful tactics to defeat the National Assembly, led by the opposition. This story ties well into one of the reasons we learned in class why democratic erosion occurs, the role political elites and leaders play. From one of the slides in class the definition is this: “Actions of political leaders are autonomous, relatively unconstrained; choices based on personal attributes, e.g. temperament, intellect, personal disposition.”
In this situation the leader, President Yoon Suk Yeol and his conservative People Power Party, clearly fit with this definition as they used anti-democratic methods to force their will in the government. Using the military as the tool for this enforcement was a clear and cut demonstration of an attempted coup in the South Korean government.
Case for Democracy Functioning?
Not all is bleak for South Korea as the National Assembly was able to resist and fully thwart the rogue president’s attempt at a coup. Matter of fact after the coup, according to the AP article, members of the People Power Party decided to join the opposition in voting for the impeachment of the president. This proves that having strong institutions and elites who have faith in democracy can assist in stemming the tide of democratic erosion, even if an anti-democratic response were to happen quickly.
There are two reasons from the slide show that help paint the picture why the situation in South Korea worked out.
The first is tactical judgement, which is when “democracies survive when leaders take action against threats from antidemocratic extremist parties.” While not entirely the case in South Korea, the situation is similar as it’s a party taking action against threats for an anti-democratic leader. The South Korean National Assembly countering Yoon’s antidemocratic coup.
The second is the leaders’ normative preferences, which is when “democracy survives when political leaders value democracy.” In this case once again is the National Assembly and the opposition party filling this role.
Room for Concern?
While Yoon’s coup was initially stifled with the National Assembly’s overturn of the martial law order. Yoon and the PPP still have some chance to stay in power as the impeachment of the president falls in the hands of the courts. If the impeachment is agreed upon by the courts the Yoon will be removed from power and an election will follow to elect a new leader. However, if the courts reject the impeachment then it could give Yoon another chance to usurp power and possibly further erode South Korean democracy.
Conclusion
While this is a case of democratic erosion in South Korea, the institutions of the country has held firm for now. The last two tests for determining if South Korea has weathered this anti-democratic storm is in the hands of the court and the following election. Considering Yoon’s resistance against his arrest, low popularity, and temporary loss of power appears to allow the Constitutional Courts to give a proper assessment of the situation.
If the courts follow through on the impeachment case then an election would have to occur. If Yoon and the PPP attempt to interfere in anyway, it could spiral things out of control.
To maintain its democracy, South Korea will need have the courts support the impeachment and maintain the integrity of the election. Once completed the country will stem the tide of democratic erosion in the country.
Articles
NPR: South Korean prosecutors indict impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over martial law
AP: What to know about the detention of impeached South Korean President Yoon
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