On Dec. 3, 2024, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol attempted a self-coup by declaring emergency martial law. He and his wife were facing various criminal charges, and his party had only about one third of the seats in the National Assembly, the legislature. Yoon sent soldiers to the legislators’ building to prevent them from exercising their constitutional power to vote down the martial law. They still managed to vote, aided by citizens who surrounded the building to delay the soldiers. On April 4, the Constitutional Court impeached Yoon, who is currently in jail and on trial for insurrection.
The failed coup brought me memories of my childhood in 1980s and 1990s South Korea. On May 17, 1980, military officer Chun Doo-hwan succeeded in a coup that led to the deaths of hundreds of protesters. The dictatorship officially fell in 1988, but shadows of it remained. School violence by teachers and their hand-picked student police was normalized. I watched an elementary school teacher beat up a student in front of the class because her parents were too poor to pay bribes. The spirit of the times was, “If you have power, it is okay to be cruel and dishonest.” Looking at the increasing political polarization and violence in the United States, I fear it may be on a similar path. On the other hand, the successful impeachment of Yoon may have helpful lessons. My presentation about the coup is at https://cityuntangled.com/writings/.
Nathan Chung
Northampton