Euan Graham
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to rescind his declaration of martial law, in the face of embattled opposition from South Korea’s parliament, has at least spared the country a disastrous return to military rule. Yoon’s ignominious move is likely to seal his political fate, but also underlines the fragility of democracy in South Korea and will leave behind a disruptive political legacy.
Within the space of a few dramatic and chaotic hours last night, Yoon declared martial law in South Korea, citing anti-state and pro-North Korean forces, and ordered the military to take over the National Assembly, South Korea’s parliament.
The most encouraging aspect from this bizarre episode was the National Assembly’s unanimous 190-0 vote to strike down martial law, with 18 members from Yoon’s ruling party joining the opposition.
If South Korea has been spared the nightmare and embarrassment of a reversion to military rule, this owes much to the bravery of its elected representatives, who were under physical threat. Images of parliamentary staff barricading themselves inside and resisting armed soldiers with fire extinguishers poignantly captured the moment that South Korea’s democracy was literally under siege, at gunpoint. It is extremely fortunate that no loss of life occurred, though this is unlikely to spare the shame of the military personnel who took part in the assault on the National Assembly.
While few could have predicted Yoon’s impetuous move, in South Korea or outside, his anti-democratic methods have been on display for some time, resorting to legal pressure tactics against his political opponents and their family members. The President’s prosecutorial background has manifested in a tendency to rule by law. This has largely gone unnoticed internationally, because Yoon’s major foreign policy initiatives—revitalising the alliance with the United States and pursuing rapprochement with Japan—were widely and rightly welcomed by Washington and its allies.
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