By AFP
December 3, 2024
Protesters gather outside the National Assembly in Seoul after South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law - Copyright AFP/File Anthony WALLACE
Shaun TANDON
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law marks a new warning for the worldwide fragility of democracy, even in a country hailed as a model of political transformation.
Yoon’s overnight attempt to shut down political activity, censor media and lock out opposition lawmakers stunned South Korea’s longtime ally, the United States, which said it had no advance warning and issued a statement of concern.
South Korea’s transition to elected rule since a mass uprising in 1987 had been seen as so thorough that the United States increasingly spoke of its ally as a global partner. Meanwhile, Seoul billed itself as a new, ideal hub for international media as China clamped down on Hong Kong.
President Joe Biden had even chosen Yoon as the host in March of his final Summit for Democracy — a signature initiative of the outgoing US leader, who sought to champion liberal values globally, in an unstated repudiation of Donald Trump, who returns to the White House next month.
But observers, while stunned by Yoon, said there were warning signs.
Danny Russel, a top US diplomat for Asia under former president Barack Obama and who earlier served in South Korea, pointed to the deadlock in parliament where the opposition repeatedly sought impeachments against Yoon’s administration.
Yoon’s move “was a complete surprise to me (but) yes, there were very obvious structural forces at work,” he said.
“There is a radically polarized political scene in Korea. The opposition has been pursuing scorched-earth political obstruction tactics,” he said.
But he pointed to the quick, large-scale protests that erupted after Yoon’s declaration as a sign of a vibrant civil society ready to defend democracy.
“One certainly would hope that this would serve as a wake-up call to both the ruling conservative party and the progressive opposition that both sides have gone too far and that there needs to be some process of reconciliation, of dealing with legitimate differences and grievances.”
– Authoritarian tendencies –
Yoon himself had earlier shown signs of authoritarianism.
In a national address last year, Yoon raged against supposed communists who have “disguised themselves as democracy activists, human rights advocates or progressive activists.”
A prosecutor, Yoon narrowly won the 2022 election on a platform of economic reform and advocated close ties with the United States as well as historic rival Japan. But his popularity swiftly slid and the opposition won the National Assembly.
Celeste Arrington, a Korea expert at George Washington University, noted that Yoon had never held elected office before and had become increasingly frustrated.
“This is really an extreme move that may signal, I think, the president’s lack of political experience,” she said.
She said that martial law showed “some cracks in democracy” but that the quick reversal “gives me hope in the health and strength and vibrancy of democracy in South Korea.”
Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, expected Yoon’s career to be over after attempting martial law, which constitutionally can only be imposed for wars or other emergencies.
“Yoon’s action is a damning reversal to decades of South Korean efforts to put its authoritarian past behind it,” he said.
– Democracy stronger? –
The number of democracies worldwide soared starting in the late 1980s as the Soviet Union collapsed and student-led uprisings brought reforms elsewhere.
But globally, democracy has been in retreat for the last 18 straight years, according to the Washington-based group Freedom House, which promotes political liberty.
Democratically elected leaders have taken increasingly authoritarian steps in countries as diverse as India, Turkey and Hungary.
V-Dem, another closely watched democracy index, had most recently ranked South Korea third in Asia after Taiwan and Japan.
In the United States, Trump has rejected long-held norms, refusing to accept he lost to Biden four years ago — culminating in his supporters violently rampaging through the US Capitol.
Trump’s rejection of democracy ultimately worked out for him: campaigning on the rage of 2020, he won last month’s election.
But experts said Yoon’s power play — and its reversal — could in fact show a victory for democratic values.
“Yoon is a deeply unpopular and ineffectual leader, but there was nothing I saw of people being dissatisfied with the way government runs,” Alan Yu, a senior vice president at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said after a recent trip to Seoul.
Darcie Draudt-Vejares of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that with the swift response to Yoon, “this crisis may ultimately strengthen Korean democracy by reaffirming civilian control and demonstrating institutional resilience.”
S. Korea’s President Yoon, embattled conservative
By AFP
December 3, 2024
Yoon's popularity has slid since his election in 2022 - Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law on Tuesday, was elected in 2022 as a conservative political novice promising a tougher line on North Korea.
He has not had an easy ride, taking office with some of the lowest approval ratings of any democratically elected South Korean president.
Those ratings dropped even further to 19 percent in the latest Gallup poll last week, with many expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy and controversies involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
In declaring martial law the South Korean leader accused the opposition of being “anti-state forces” and said he was acting to protect the country from “threats” posed by the North.
Observers and allies have been left scrambling to make sense of the sudden move.
– Top prosecutor –
Born in Seoul in 1960, Yoon studied law and went on to become a star public prosecutor and anti-corruption crusader, playing an instrumental role in former president Park Geun-hye being convicted of abuse of power.
As the country’s top prosecutor in 2019, he also indicted a top aide of outgoing president Moon Jae-in in a fraud and bribery case that tarnished that administration’s image.
The conservative People Power Party (PPP), in opposition at the time, liked what they saw and convinced Yoon to become their presidential candidate.
He duly won in March 2022, beating Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, but by the narrowest margin in South Korean history.
Yoon was never much loved, and a series of scandals — including his administration’s handling of a deadly Halloween crush of 2022 — have further eroded his popularity.
Critics have blamed Yoon’s administration for food inflation, a lagging economy, and increasing constraints on freedom of speech.
He was also accused of abusing presidential vetoes, notably to strike down a bill that would have paved the way for a special investigation into his wife’s alleged involvement in stock manipulation.
Yoon suffered further reputational damage last year when his wife was secretly filmed accepting a designer handbag worth $2,000 as a gift. Yoon insisted it would have been rude to refuse.
His mother-in-law, Choi Eun-soon, is serving a one-year prison sentence for forging financial documents in a real estate deal. She is due to be released in July.
Yoon was earlier this year the subject of a petition calling for his impeachment, which proved so popular the parliamentary website hosting it experienced delays and crashes.
Local media have reported that Yoon is particularly inspired by British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.
As president, Yoon has maintained a tough stance against Pyongyang and bolstered ties with Seoul’s traditional ally, the United States.
Last year, he famously sang Don McLean’s “American Pie” during his visit to the White House, to which US President Joe Biden responded, “I had no damn idea you could sing.”
But his efforts to restore ties with South Korea’s former colonial ruler, Japan, did not sit well with many at home, as the issue remains sensitive in the country.
The return of former US president Donald Trump — who had historic but ultimately failed summits with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un while in office — may create another layer of tension, experts say.
By AFP
December 3, 2024
Yoon's popularity has slid since his election in 2022 - Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law on Tuesday, was elected in 2022 as a conservative political novice promising a tougher line on North Korea.
He has not had an easy ride, taking office with some of the lowest approval ratings of any democratically elected South Korean president.
Those ratings dropped even further to 19 percent in the latest Gallup poll last week, with many expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy and controversies involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
In declaring martial law the South Korean leader accused the opposition of being “anti-state forces” and said he was acting to protect the country from “threats” posed by the North.
Observers and allies have been left scrambling to make sense of the sudden move.
– Top prosecutor –
Born in Seoul in 1960, Yoon studied law and went on to become a star public prosecutor and anti-corruption crusader, playing an instrumental role in former president Park Geun-hye being convicted of abuse of power.
As the country’s top prosecutor in 2019, he also indicted a top aide of outgoing president Moon Jae-in in a fraud and bribery case that tarnished that administration’s image.
The conservative People Power Party (PPP), in opposition at the time, liked what they saw and convinced Yoon to become their presidential candidate.
He duly won in March 2022, beating Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, but by the narrowest margin in South Korean history.
Yoon was never much loved, and a series of scandals — including his administration’s handling of a deadly Halloween crush of 2022 — have further eroded his popularity.
Critics have blamed Yoon’s administration for food inflation, a lagging economy, and increasing constraints on freedom of speech.
He was also accused of abusing presidential vetoes, notably to strike down a bill that would have paved the way for a special investigation into his wife’s alleged involvement in stock manipulation.
Yoon suffered further reputational damage last year when his wife was secretly filmed accepting a designer handbag worth $2,000 as a gift. Yoon insisted it would have been rude to refuse.
His mother-in-law, Choi Eun-soon, is serving a one-year prison sentence for forging financial documents in a real estate deal. She is due to be released in July.
Yoon was earlier this year the subject of a petition calling for his impeachment, which proved so popular the parliamentary website hosting it experienced delays and crashes.
Local media have reported that Yoon is particularly inspired by British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.
As president, Yoon has maintained a tough stance against Pyongyang and bolstered ties with Seoul’s traditional ally, the United States.
Last year, he famously sang Don McLean’s “American Pie” during his visit to the White House, to which US President Joe Biden responded, “I had no damn idea you could sing.”
But his efforts to restore ties with South Korea’s former colonial ruler, Japan, did not sit well with many at home, as the issue remains sensitive in the country.
The return of former US president Donald Trump — who had historic but ultimately failed summits with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un while in office — may create another layer of tension, experts say.
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