Editorial | South Korea needs to resolve crisis in name of regional stability

If one were to cast around for a leading global economy that would next descend into instability and chaos culminating in martial law, few people would have settled on South Korea as an obvious candidate. The country has been a bellwether economy and democracy that is better known these days for its cultural exports of K-pop and K-drama than for its history of coups and authoritarian leaders in the 1960s to the 1980s.

Yet to the surprise of virtually everyone, the whirlwind of political escalation that has rocked Seoul over the past 36 hours hearkens back to the country’s hardline past and raises fears about deteriorating security in North Asia. Embattled President Yoon Suk-yeol imposed martial law late on Tuesday, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces amid a bitter struggle with an opposition-controlled parliament that he accuses of sympathising with communist North Korea.

The shock decision stirred immediate outcry and protest, with the opposition and the leader of Yoon’s own political party denouncing it in quick succession. He withdrew military personnel after a bipartisan parliamentary vote rejected martial law, and lifted the measure around 4.30am yesterday. The declaration of martial law and scenes of troops encircling parliament also blindsided US allies, who said they had no advance notice. Some in the opposition had called for a rethink of Yoon’s close alliance with the United States.

In all, the martial law lasted about six hours, and while the troops have left the grounds of the National Assembly, the turmoil has not ended. Yoon’s presidency is under fire, his cabinet has threatened to resign en masse, and parliament is calling for impeachment hearings.

It was the first time for martial law to be declared since 1980, when General Chun Doo-hwan seized power in a coup, one year after the assassination of president Park Chung-hee, also a general and no stranger to the use of martial law. South Korea left authoritarianism behind in the late 1980s, and while it has seen political turmoil over the past four decades, it has adhered to democratic principles and the rule of law, and avoided a slide back into military rule. Its economy thrived, it grew into a world technology leader, and it is now deeply embedded in the global supply chain. Relations with Beijing are tense at times, but business, economic and cultural ties remain strong.

Instability in North Asia usually comes from Kim Jong-un’s North Korea, which is prone to test ballistic missiles at inopportune times and recently sent troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine. Seoul needs to head off any temptation for adventurism by Pyongyang. The fate of Yoon hangs in the balance and the country’s penchant for exacting political revenge has not been kind to former presidents. The sooner the South puts the crisis behind it, the sooner it can get back to being its usual stable self. It is also desirable for regional stability.