鈥榃e cannot rest yet鈥�: South Koreans react to deepening political crisis
More than a month after President Yoon Suk Yeol鈥檚 botched martial law attempt infuriated a nation, South Koreans are still in the street, demanding he step down. The Monitor caught up with some people we spoke with in December about their views on the evolving political crisis.
More than a month after President Yoon Suk Yeol鈥檚 botched martial law attempt infuriated a nation, South Koreans are still in the street, demanding he step down. The Monitor caught up with some people we spoke with in December about their views on the evolving political crisis.
Braving snow and freezing cold, kindergarten staff worker Ki-Soo Lee trudges to daily protests outside the gated residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
She鈥檚 tired. Since Ms. Lee first spoke with the Monitor in Seoul in early December, the young working mother has pushed through weeks of nonstop demonstrations, demanding Mr. Yoon be held accountable for his short-lived imposition of martial law Dec. 3. But she remains determined.
鈥淚 am very grateful there are people standing by my side, giving me strength,鈥� she says. 鈥淒ay after day, we need to stay together, we need to march together.鈥�
Mr. Yoon鈥檚 surprise bid to impose military rule shocked many South Koreans, reviving memories of the country鈥檚 dark legacy of coups and military dictatorship, which lasted until 1987. Ms. Lee and her sister rallied with hundreds of thousands of people Dec. 14 outside South Korea鈥檚 parliament, erupting in cheers when lawmakers voted 204-85 to impeach Mr. Yoon. 鈥淚 felt proud,鈥� recalls Ms. Lee.
But today the defiant Mr. Yoon, who has vowed to 鈥渘ever give up,鈥� remains holed up in his residence behind barricades erected by his security force. He is resisting not only his removal from office, but also efforts by government prosecutors to detain him for questioning over his martial law declaration.
Ms. Lee, who has a 10-year-old son, longs for a return to normalcy, something she knows is unlikely for at least a few more months.
鈥淚t feels like everyone鈥檚 daily life stopped at that moment 鈥� when he declared martial law,鈥� she says. 鈥淟ife stopped right then.鈥澛�
Under economic strain, sympathy for Yoon grows
At her noodle counter in Seoul鈥檚 Namdaemun market, vendor Jang Chang Suk also longs for an end to the current crisis 鈥� for different reasons.
鈥淏usiness is horrible now!鈥� she complains. 鈥淟ast year there were a lot more foreigners eating at my counter.鈥�
Political uncertainty is unsettling South Korea鈥檚 economy, worsening some already negative trends and impacting businesses large and small. It has scared off some foreign tourists, who have canceled trips, hurting the hospitality industry. The value of the South Korean currency, the won, has dropped sharply, pushing up import prices.
As the instability hits home, Ms. Jang鈥檚 political views have shifted. She says she鈥檚 grown more sympathetic toward Mr. Yoon since she first spoke with the Monitor in early December. 鈥淚 understand better what happened,鈥� she explains as she serves bowls of steaming noodles.
Mr. Yoon, of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), has argued that he declared martial law as an act of 鈥渄esperation鈥� to overcome political gridlock that he blames on the opposition center-left Democratic Party. By defending his actions and pledging to 鈥渇ight to the end to protect this country,鈥� Mr. Yoon has succeeded to a degree in mobilizing his core supporters,聽聽Indeed, a recent survey by the Korea Public Opinion Research Institute shows his approval rating rebounding from the teens to 40%, though some experts have questioned the poll's methodology.
Mr. Yoon's backers regularly rally outside his residence in Seoul, waving U.S. flags and signs saying 鈥淪top the steal鈥� 鈥� a reference to President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 false claims that he won the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
鈥淗e was treated unfairly,鈥� Ms. Jang says of Mr. Yoon.
South Korea鈥檚 democracy enters uncharted territory
From the ivy-covered towers of Yonsei University in Seoul, legal scholar Ethan Hee-Seok Shin watches with concern as South Korea鈥檚 young democracy enters uncharted waters.聽
鈥淭he perfect storm of extreme polarization and partisanship, combined with the winner-take-all electoral system,鈥� has left the country 鈥渟tuck,鈥� he explains, and the deepening political crisis has also exposed gaps in South Korea鈥檚 constitutional law.
鈥淎 lot of the situations we are facing now were not really envisioned by our legislators 20 or 30 years ago,鈥� he says.聽
After Mr. Yoon was impeached, for example, a controversy arose over the powers of the acting president, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, and whether Mr. Han could appoint new justices to fill three vacancies on the nine-seat Constitutional Court that will decide whether to permanently remove Mr. Yoon from power. Mr. Han refused to appoint the justices, and then the National Assembly voted Dec. 27 to impeach Mr. Han as well. The new acting leader, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, last month appointed justices to fill two of the court vacancies.
Ultimately, however, Mr. Shin is confident today鈥檚 leadership void will be resolved by the courts.
鈥淭he silver lining,鈥� he says, 鈥渋s we won鈥檛 be going back to military law.鈥�
Cinematographer Oh Cheong Ok echoes this sense of optimism as he weaves through a crowd of protesters in downtown Seoul, his mounted camera rolling.
A veteran of South Korean political activism, Mr. Oh organized opposition to military dictator Chun Doo-hwan as a university student in Seoul in the 1980s, and later made a documentary about that era.聽
Today, as he captures the unfolding political drama, he voices confidence in the resilience of the country鈥檚 democracy.聽
鈥淎t the critical time, the people of South Korea will be there to pressure the constitutional judge to do the right thing ... and fire the president,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he people of Korea will prevail, but we cannot rest yet.鈥澛�
Kyong Chong supported reporting for this story.
Editor鈥檚 note: This story, originally published Jan. 9, has been updated with more information about opinion polls.