Gagan Hitkari

Opinion | Yoon’s dangerous political gamble was no aberration

Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law, albeit brief, is a reminder that South Korea must reckon with its authoritarian tendencies

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Protesters hold candles and placards calling for the arrest of President Yoon Suk-yeol, outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on December 6. Photo: EPA-EFE

Gagan Hitkari

Published: 5:30am, 10 Dec 2024

In a dramatic turn of events last week, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol imposed and withdrew martial law, all within a span of six hours. Yoon’s unprecedented move – the first time martial law has been imposed since 1979 – has been widely condemned as an abuse of presidential power and a gamble to fight the rising calls for impeachment among the opposition.

However, what has been widely termed an erratic decision has exposed deep fault lines in the country’s political landscape and provoked significant international scrutiny. For a nation that has tried to dissociate itself from its authoritarian past, Yoon’s undemocratic conduct has raised several unpleasant questions that must be answered to safeguard South Korea’s democratic ideals and international image.

Yoon’s decision can be directly linked to the political turmoil that has engulfed South Korea in recent months. Addressing the nation in a televised statement, Yoon declared martial law as a measure to counter the “pro-North-Korean forces” and “to save the country [from] anti-state forces that are trying to paralyse the essential functions of the state and destroy the constitutional order of liberal democracy”.

Yoon’s declaration came against the backdrop of falling approval ratings, political deadlock in an opposition-controlled legislative assembly and calls for independent investigations and impeachment.

Before the decree, the main opposition, the Democratic Party of Korea, had presented a budgetary bill slashing 4.1 trillion won (US$2.8 billion) from the initial plan proposed by the government. This marked the watershed to Yoon’s decision as he claimed that the opposition had left him unable to govern.

The imposition of martial law drew sharp criticism in South Korea and beyond. After the declaration, thousands took to the streets amid a heavy military presence. Lawmakers were able to enter a heavily guarded parliament, eventually voting to overturn the decision. Politicians condemned Yoon’s decree as illegal and unconstitutional.