President Yoon has survived impeachment, but South Korea is on boil

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol survived an impeachment vote in the parliament that was prompted by his imposition and later withdrawal of martial law in the country. The martial law fiasco drew severe criticism from his own party and the opposition, with the leader of Yoon’s own party saying that the president will step down eventually. Yoon’s party, the People Power Party, boycotted the impeachment vote that was forwarded by the opposition led by the Democratic Party. The motion was then scrapped as not enough legislators participated.

Ironically, in the troubled history of the nation, resignation, removal, impeachment, imprisonment, and even assassination of presidents have been more common than the peaceful transfer of power.

Circumvention Atonement

Earlier on Saturday, in a cryptic, less-than-two-minute address to the nation, embattled Yoon Suk Yeol apologised to the people for the “anxiety, discomfort, distress, and disruption” he had caused to the country. He said he had acted out of desperation because of political opposition paralysing his government.

The defiant Yoon refused to resign, though he promised to face any legal or political consequences of his action and said he would let his party decide his fate.

Existential Crisis

South Korea today is widely considered a peaceful beacon of democracy in Asia. It is described as “full democracy” by The Economist on whose Economist Democracy Index 2023 it is ranked high 22. But that was not always the case. This is a country that saw 16 bouts of martial law during its first four decades ruled largely by dictators. Every time since 1948 dictators impose martial law in South Korea, they have justified it as an absolute must to save and stabilise the country. Some went far to justify their action in the name of saving the country from communist subversives planted by North Korea.

Bloodstained

Naturally then, South Korea has a blood-stained legacy marred by military coups, martial law, dictatorship, assassination, and forced removal of presidents. The longest period of the nation has been ruled by dictators, and the democracy is so tenuous the fear of return to anarchy always lingers. Here is the story in brief:

One, the military dictator, Park Chung Hee, who deposed second President Yun Bo-Seon (1960-62), had the longest tenure of seventeen years (1962-1979). He was assassinated.

Two, Syngman Rhee (1948-1960), South Korea’s first president, had the second longest tenure of 12 years. Amid the attempt to extend his term through rigged polls, he was forced to resign owing to a massive student uprising named the April Revolution.

Three, the military dictator, Chun Doo Hawn (1981-1988) had the third longest tenure. He deposed in a coup career diplomat president Choi Kyu Hah (1979-1980), who had the shortest tenure.

Chun was sentenced to death for his role in the 1979 coup but pardoned later.

Four, starting with Roh Tae Woo (1988-1993), first directly elected president out of seven, all but two—Park Geun Hye and Roh Moo Hyun—completed full five-year terms. President Kim Dae-jung (1998-2003) also won the Nobel Peace Prize (2000) for improving the relationship with North Korea.

Except for Kim, the tenure of every president of South Korea was tainted with charges of coup, corruption, and bribery. While few were imprisoned and pardoned later, charges against others were not pressed.

History Retold

If President Yoon had been impeached, he would have had the dubious distinction of being the third president to be impeached since democracy took a tenuous toehold in South Korea. Here is what happened to the other two:

First, Park Geun Hye—impeached, imprisoned, and pardoned—was South Korea’s first female president (daughter of former dictator Park Chung). She was presented as an incorruptible paragon of integrity and was impeached in March 2017 after confirmation by the Constitutional Court.

Later in 2021 she was sentenced to 20 years in prison and slapped with a hefty fine on charges of accepting or soliciting tens of millions of dollars from conglomerates, including Samsung, leaking classified documents, and dismissing officials who opposed her.

Park was pardoned by her successor, President Moon, later that same year.

The current president, Yoon, then a Seoul prosecutor, played a pivotal role in Park’s dismissal and imprisonment.

Second, Roh Moo Hyun—impeached and died by suicide—was the South Korean president between 2003 and 2008 and was impeached for electoral violations and malpractices.

Roh died by suicide in 2009 while under investigation for corruption charges.

Go Home or Get Impeached was the Demand

The presidential apology was not accepted by either the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) or key leaders of his own ruling party, the People Power Party (PPP).

Lee Jae Myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, dismissed Yoon’s apology as “very disappointing” and said it had only increased public anger and betrayal. He is categorical that “The president’s very existence is the biggest risk to South Korea right now” and that there is “no other solution” than his immediate resignation or removal through impeachment.

Next, Han Dong Hun, a prominent leader of Yoon’s own ruling People Power Party, also said emphatically that the early resignation of the president was unavoidable, and he was not able to continue his normal duty.

On Friday, Han was even more categorical when he said that Yoon was a danger to the country and needed to be removed from power.

Bizarre Implosion

Around 10:30 pm (KST) on December 3, in a bizarre, nationally televised address, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, citing the need to protect the country from “North Korean communist forces”, “anti-state forces” and to “rebuild and protect” South Korea from “falling into ruin".

Yoon continued further, “This is an unavoidable measure to ensure the freedom and safety of the people and guarantee the sustainability of the nation against the unrest stirred by these subversive, antistate elements.”

He directly blamed the National Assembly, where the opposition Democratic Party is in the majority, for the imposition of martial law.

“The National Assembly has also completely cut budgets essential for national operations, drug crime prevention, and public safety, undermining the core functions of the state. This has left our citizens in a state of chaos with the nation becoming a haven for drugs and public safety collapsing.”

Defiance

In the history of South Korea, where military dictatorship and martial law were the norm before the hard-won democracy, the latest declaration was the first time the country was thrown into the vortex of martial law since 1980, when a military coup was carried out by Chun Doo Hwan after the assassination of President Park Chung Hee in 1979.

But the protectors of democracy made sure that the martial law had a limited currency of six hours. Defying the posse of military and police 190 out of 300 lawmakers stormed the National Assembly after midnight to vote against the imposition of martial law, and shortly after the vote, National Speaker Woo Won Shik declared:

“Of the 190 present, 190 in favour, I declare that the resolution calling for the lifting of the emergency martial law has been passed.”

Nation Wins—But Barely

With the National Assembly voting down the emergency martial law within a few hours of its declaration, in the wee hours of December 4, 2024, at 04:30 hours, in another televised address, Yoon retraced his step back:

He said, “Just a moment ago, there was a demand from the National Assembly to lift the state of emergency, and we have withdrawn the military that was deployed for martial law operations.” He added further, “We will accept the National Assembly’s request and lift the martial law through the cabinet meeting.”

AFP reported one of the thousands of protestors who had braved freezing temperatures to keep vigil the whole night shouted, “We won.”

Freeze but Seize

Outside the National Assembly, in freezing temperatures, more than a million gathered on Saturday, shouting, “Impeach, impeach.” The night was falling, but the crowd was swelling. Though Yoon survived the impeachment attempt, the sentiments that this martial law fiasco has instilled in South Korean people will go a long way.

Clearly, Seoul is boiling. And the days of President Yoon Suk Yeol are numbered.

The author is a multi-disciplinary thought leader with Action Bias and an India based impact consultant. He is a keen watcher of changing national and international scenarios. He works as President Advisory Services of Consulting Company BARSYL. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.