What Happened to South Korea’s Democracy?
What Happened to South Korea’s Democracy?
The quick reversal of President Yoon’s martial-law order is being celebrated as a democratic victory. But the problems run deeper than one man. What comes next?
On December 3, I woke up to breaking news on my phone: “Martial law in South Korea.” Initially, I thought it was fake. How could this possibly happen in my home country in 2024? At the same time, I could not escape the painful memories of the last two periods when martial law was imposed, in 1979 and 1980, when I was a college student. Still, I believe that, despite recent democratic backsliding, South Korea has strong democratic institutions to withstand this latest undemocratic and unconstitutional challenge. Whereas in the past martial law led to prolonged autocracy, this time it was lifted within six hours of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration. Political turmoil and uncertainties will, however, continue for the foreseeable future.
What has happened to this exemplary case of Asian democracy, and why now? What does this incident reveal about Korean democracy and its future? What lessons can we — Koreans, Americans, and others around the world — learn from this experience?