South Korea goes way left

South Korea’s presidential election took a hard left turn on Tuesday, with official vote tallies handing victory to comrade Lee Jae-myung, a left-wing opposition leader. He trounced a conservative candidate tied to the disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol, whose disastrous martial law stunt in December cratered his political career.

So it seems that voters went with their emotions, not with their brains.

The election could signal a “kind of a return to normal politics” after six months of chaos, especially as U.S. tariffs loom large, stirring economic uncertainty, according to one expert. But don’t hold your breath, Lee’s victory reeks of trouble. He’s poised to cozy up to China and play footsie with North Korea, a move that’s sure to raise eyebrows in Washington and among freedom-loving South Koreans.

Lee campaigned as a unifier, riding the wave of backlash against Yoon’s martial law debacle. But the Korea JoongAng Daily nailed it: he “will need to navigate a deeply polarized electorate and a shifting geopolitical landscape.” 

Good luck with that when your playbook seems to involve appeasing dictators and alienating allies. South Korea’s in for a rocky ride.

Hey guys, if you like my blog,  feel free to toss a virtual coffee my way on Buy Me a Coffee  It’s like a high-five with caffeine, and coffee keeps me focused, albeit somewhat hyper. No pressure, it's your call.

Tweet

South Korea in chaos: President Yoel calls for martial law, Parliament rescinds and Yoel wants both sides arrested

Earlier today, President Yoon Suk Yoel, imposed martial law over the country claiming it is due to the North Korea communist threat and the elements of it inside the parliament. However, both parties within the S. Korean parliament decided together to lift the martial law--some of the soldiers even began to leave parliament but the military leaders said that martial law must remain in effect until the President lifts it.

Now the latest word is that Yoel has instructed the military to storm its parliament and raid the offices and arrest the opposition leader, both the socialist leader, Lee Jae-myung, and the conservative leader, Han Dong-hoon, of his own party. 

Yeol addressed the nation after midnight when he declared martial law, stating that it would be imposed immediately, but the South Korean National Assembly, aka Democratic Party opposed it. Even his own party, as mentioned, opposed martial law.

Despite the assembly chamber being closed and under military guard, 195 assembly members convened outside the building and voted unanimously to overturn the decree. Only 150 votes from the 300-member assembly were needed to repeal the president's edict.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-Shik declared that lawmakers “will protect democracy with the people.” He urged the police and soldiers to vacate the National Assembly grounds, and they complied.

The military leadership aligns with Yoon. A military spokesperson echoed Yoon's claim that the parliament could lead to “social confusion” and should be suspended.

The South Korean Democratic Party has moved beyond mere opposition into outright obstructionism. Yoon's legislative agenda is now stalled, with little chance of revival in the near future. Yoon accused the Democrats of transforming the nation into a “drug haven” and causing disorder. “The National Assembly has become a monster undermining liberal democracy, and the nation is in a precarious state, teetering on the edge of collapse," Yoon stated in his television address.

“We will eliminate the anti-state forces and restore the country to normalcy as quickly as possible," Yoon assured the public.

The leader of Yoon's conservative People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, labeled the decision to impose martial law as “wrong” and pledged to “stop it with the people.” Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, denounced Yoon's announcement as “illegal and unconstitutional.”

Yoon, in a televised speech, argued that martial law would assist in “rebuilding and protecting” the country from “falling into the depths of national ruin.” He claimed he would “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.”

“I will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalize the country,” he said, asking the public to trust him and tolerate “some inconveniences.”

The martial law order forbids “denying free democracy or attempting a subversion” and criminalizes “fake news” along with “manipulating public opinion.” It also demands that doctors resume work, ending their months-long strike against increased medical school admissions. “Strikes, work stoppages and rallies that incite social chaos” are also banned.

Citizens have already begun to fill the streets in protest.

Given the military's division and public demonstrations against the first imposition of martial law in 40 years, what could Yoon's future hold?

The Democratic members of the assembly have been quick to initiate impeachments, having already removed three prosecutors and several ministers. President Yoon himself is under investigation for corruption, and this martial law decree seems to offer yet more ammunition for his detractors.

It's quite likely that Yeol will be impeached. At the least, he has royally screwed up.

Tweet