South Korea is teetering on the brink of a constitutional crisis. The fallout from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law last week continues to reverberate, leading to the detention of the national police chief and Seoul’s top police officer. This dramatic development comes just hours before the main opposition Democratic Party plans to submit a new motion to impeach President Yoon, a move they intend to bring to a floor vote on Saturday.
The arrests of high-ranking police officials highlight the gravity of the situation. Their detention directly relates to the enforcement of the controversial martial law decree, which many view as a blatant overreach of presidential power. The move adds fuel to the already burning fire of political opposition against President Yoon.
Further escalating the crisis is the arrest of former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun. A Seoul court approved an arrest warrant for Kim, accusing him of playing a central role in the rebellion and abuse of power related to the December 3rd martial law decree. Kim’s arrest marks the first such arrest directly linked to the controversial decision.
Opposition parties and legal experts have vehemently condemned the martial law decree, claiming it was unconstitutional. They argue that a president can only legally declare martial law during wartime, war-like situations, or comparable national emergencies – a situation they argue South Korea was demonstrably not facing. The deployment of troops to seal off the National Assembly, effectively suspending parliamentary activities, is seen as an act of rebellion, violating the constitution’s explicit prohibition against presidential use of the military to suppress the legislature.
President Yoon, a conservative, justified his actions by emphasizing the need to eliminate what he termed “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces,” a clear reference to his liberal rivals who control the National Assembly. This rhetoric underlines the deep political divide in South Korea and the increasingly hostile relationship between the ruling and opposition parties.
The political tension has been simmering since Yoon took office in 2022. The Democratic Party has repeatedly introduced impeachment motions against Yoon’s top officials and launched numerous political offensives targeting scandals involving the president and his wife. While Yoon narrowly avoided impeachment last Saturday due to a governing party boycott of the floor vote, the new impeachment motion poses a significant threat to his presidency. A successful impeachment would suspend his presidential powers until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate him or remove him permanently from office. Dismissal would trigger a new presidential election, plunging the country into further political uncertainty.
The situation remains highly volatile, and the coming days will be crucial in determining the future of South Korean politics. The world watches as this rapidly unfolding drama unfolds, highlighting the fragility of democratic institutions even in established democracies.
