Democratic decline is mostly considered to be a slow degeneration of a nation’s body politic that plays out over years. But it can also be as sudden as a heart attack. That was certainly the case in Seoul this week, when President Yoon Suk Yeol sought to smother the opposition and muffle media by putting the country under martial law.
Resolute lawmakers had to scale walls to enter a cordoned off parliament — as their aides used fire extinguishers to beat back armed forces — to pass a bill to reverse Yoon’s order. This time, the martial law lasted all of six hours, but Korea, since its inception in 1948, has seen 16 instances of martial law — the last time was in May 1980, almost 45 years ago.
After winning the tightest presidential race in Korean history, Yoon has had a torrid time in office. He had to issue a public apology after his wife’s acceptance of an expensive designer bag sparked an outcry. He also used his veto power to kill a bill that sought to investigate the first lady. All that didn’t help his popularity ratings and his party suffered a landslide defeat in parliamentary polls earlier this year.
