As it stands today, South Korea finds itself in a state of extreme political chaos. Former President Yoon is no stranger to legal challenges, with various proceedings stemming from his de facto martial law. Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly for announcing martial law on December 3. Now, he is at the center of an unprecedented political crisis that has polarized public sentiment and tested South Korea’s democratic institutions. Yoon was ultimately charged with rebellion and was arrested. A district court in Seoul soon sprung him from jail, permitting him to face trial without incarceration. The Constitutional Court prepares to make a landmark decision on his impeachment. This ruling has the potential to either restore him to power or call a new presidential election.
The debate over Yoon’s illegal martial law decree has been the center of gravity of South Korean politics. Despite early polls showing massive public condemnation of his behavior, support for Yoon has appeared to pick up steam as time passes. Yoon insists that his decision to declare martial law was in the interest of restoring order. These new allegations by senior military and police officials are grave. They allege he told them to use physical violence to remove legislators to prevent a vote on his executive order.
Yoon’s impeachment occurred approximately two weeks prior to that of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. Though the two developments are separate, both have huge potential ramifications. Should the Constitutional Court decide in favor of Yoon’s impeachment, South Korea will be forced to call a new presidential election. On the other hand, a decision in favor of Yoon would restore his presidential powers.
Yoon’s People Power Party has further mucked the waters. They are attempting to influence the Constitutional Court by rushing through confirmation of justices who they hope will be friendly to Yoon. Han and Choi have each made clear that in order to succeed, bipartisan support would be essential to expand the court. Opponents worry that their moves could play into the hands of Yoon’s conservative party.
As of the publication of this post, the Constitutional Court has yet to rule on Yoon’s case. Previous estimates had them making a decision by mid-March. This delay has extended the confusion over South Korea’s political future and has left millions of South Koreans in limbo.
The debate thus far has focused on the wrong question. Why did Yoon send in hundreds of soldiers and police to the National Assembly right after imposing martial law? This action has been the most popular target of political observers and lawmakers to hit the administration.
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