A stunning two weeks in South Korea
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Over the weekend, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yool was impeached. It was the culmination of a dramatic 11 days. And when Yoon was finally voted out by the parliament, the reaction wasn't just one of excitement. It was almost like a concert. Absolute celebration out here, outside the National Assembly in Seoul, after the impeachment vote passed. People are crying, praying, chanting.

This is Michelle Yehee Lee. She covers South Korea for The Post. She was among the hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Saturday outside the building where the vote to push out President Yoon took place. It was almost freezing out, but Michelle said that it didn't feel cold because there were so many people packed together. This impeachment was the end of a tense period that started on December 3rd when President Yoon briefly declared martial law.

Now that he's been removed from power, at least for now, we wanted to talk with Michelle to understand the significance of this moment. This has been an incredibly tumultuous two weeks in South Korea, the biggest political crisis the country has faced in decades. And it began with the six-hour martial law and ended with an impeachment. ♪

Part of why people were celebrating in the street over the weekend and feeling so relieved is because this declaration of martial law called to mind a painful recent history. South Koreans remember what it's like to live under a military dictatorship when martial law happened over and over again to control people's freedom, to tamp down political dissent. It was a violent and scary time that Koreans don't want to go back to.

Yet in 2024, they saw a return to it under this president in this modern age when South Korea is better known for K-pop and K-beauty than for its authoritarian past. So it's been a really traumatic and horrific time for so many South Koreans that this could happen again. And in the middle of all this celebration about Yoon's impeachment, there are urgent questions about the political future of South Korea and who will actually be in charge going forward.

From the newsroom of The Washington Post, this is Post Reports. I'm Martine Powers. It's Monday, December 16th. Today, the rise and fall of President Yoon Seok-yool in South Korea. We'll talk about how he came to declare martial law, why there was an immediate political backlash, and the parallels Michelle sees to the political situation here in the U.S. ♪

So Michelle, I want to talk a little bit more about President Yoon. Who is he? And can you kind of talk us through a little bit of his political career? So Yoon So-yeol is a conservative president. He was elected into office in 2022. He was a lifelong prosecutor, the nation's top former prosecutor. He actually played a major role in impeaching a previous president. And he was elected on his first bid for public office. He had never been a politician before.

He won with less than 1% margin victory. So it was already a very polarized country, yet he came in with barely a mandate. And he actually didn't do much to close that gap to try to unify the country. He ended up appealing to his core loyal conservative base,

And a lot of analysts say that this exacerbated the polarization in the country that sort of led us to this moment. Many of the decisions he made as president were unpopular and controversial. And there have been a lot of scandals swirling around him, especially involving his wife, the first lady, and top members of his party. And so the president seems to have grown more and more frustrated with the sort of political isolation he was feeling.

Let me ask a little bit more about the context here, that polarization that you mentioned. What's going on in South Korea that it is so polarized? Or what are the issues that have been dividing people that you have a place where, you know, the president is only being elected with a 1% margin in the vote?

Yeah, I mean, much like the United States, South Korea has mostly a two-party system. You know, the opposition sort of have a coalition, but it is very divided along political lines, political ideologies that are very fundamental to the way South Koreans think about both domestic and foreign policy matters.

And there's also a depolarization that's caused by a very siloed media ecosystem here. The media outlets are very clearly divided between conservative and progressive. And YouTube is now the number one source.

media intake for South Koreans. And there's hyper right wing, hyper left wing media intake happening on YouTube. Another issue that has contributed to the polarization in South Korea is widening income inequality, which has been an issue in many countries. But in South Korea, it's really divided the country by class and by party.

And this has contributed to a political divide of whether people believe that the government's policies are working for them or not. It's kind of a system that as an American can sound a little bit familiar, I think. Yeah, yeah. I was going to say, I think a lot of Americans can relate to the idea of a very divided society politically that's exacerbated by hyper-right, hyper-left-wing media. Then you mentioned these scandals that have followed the president.

Can you just describe a little bit of what you're referring to here? What are these scandals and why have they outraged some South Koreans? Yeah, I mean, the president has made some decisions that the public really didn't like. Like he moved the presidential office to the defense ministry compound.

President-elect Yoon Seok-yong has declared that he will not be moving into the Blue House, the traditional home of South Korean leaders, and will instead set up a new presidential office that he says will be closer to the people. Which just kind of added a lot of traffic to Seoul, which annoyed a lot of people. It began with that. I mean, people care a lot about traffic.

That's right. A worldwide phenomenon. Yeah, it was a logistical nightmare. And then just as those things started subsiding, the president was very pro-improving relations with Japan, which is a very political issue here because Japan had occupied the Korean Peninsula for many years.

Then there was a disagreement with the doctors unions, which led to doctor strike, which meant that people couldn't access health care regularly anymore, which led to even more frustrations. Then there was inflation, rising costs. Then there's just sort of a unique series of scandals surrounding his wife, Kim Gun-hee, the first lady. Hmm.

Hidden camera footage has emerged allegedly showing South Korea's first lady Kim Kyong-hee accepting a duo bag as a gift.

One of the things that have been grabbing headlines for a long time is that she was videotaped accepting a Christian Dior handbag from this person, allegedly in exchange for political favors. So the Christian Dior handbag scandal went wild. And then in recent months, another scandal involving her allegedly having many conversations with the conservative political

which oppositions say that she has been inappropriately exerting herself into the political process. Oh, that's so interesting. So these scandals surrounding her have really been weaponized by the opposition. Actually, there have been weekly protests calling for her removal, for her impeachment, because people are so upset about these scandals involving her. Wow. And this has really exacerbated

I think the president's frustration, he feels attacked because he has been personally attacked by the opposition over his family and then over all these policies that he believes are the right thing to do, but have been very divisive with the public.

Interesting. Okay, so President Yoon was really struggling with his popularity. These scandals have been, it sounds like, a consistent problem for him. Then what happened that escalated things a few weeks ago? Like, how did South Korea get to the president declaring martial law? So the

Legislative session was winding down this month in December, and they had been having all these budget negotiations. The president controls the executive and then the opposition controls the legislative. So there had been budget fights over and over. And the opposition party, which controls the National Assembly, had kept rejecting the president's budget requests. And on top of that, trying to impeach all sorts of top officials from his government.

And it just seems like the president had it at the heart of it.

at that point. He decided that the opposition was taking part in anti-state, quote unquote, anti-state activities by obstructing his ability to govern the country by cutting his proposed budget. And he wanted to teach them a lesson. He wanted to fire a warning shot against the opposition party. This is essentially how he explained it in the aftermath. And we came to this moment where

where he declared a martial law decree, which was just so shocking. He declared an emergency decree. I...

Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the abyss of national ruin. To this end, I will definitely eradicate the anti-state forces who are the main culprit of the country's ruination and conduct vicious activities. But his explanation was that he had to do it because of the anti-state activities of the opposition party.

And what exactly does martial law mean in this context? Like, what were those six hours like when it seemed like President Yoon was putting in place a new reality?

Yeah, I mean, martial law means that there's a military takeover of the day-to-day rule of the country, right? So if you read his decree, it was very clear. He was banning all political activities, including actions by the National Assembly. He banned political demonstrations. So anyone coming out to protest his martial law decree, that was illegal. He prohibited the activities of independent media.

You know, at the end of the day, National Assembly members still rushed to the chamber to vote down his martial law. Thousands of Koreans still showed up to the National Assembly to protest. The vibrant media outlets here all recorded it, live streamed it, covered it in depth.

So, you know, even though these military officials were all descending on the National Assembly, there were military helicopters flying above it. It was a very dramatic scene. But at the end of the day, it was late at night and voted down within about two and a half hours. And then the president rescinded it in six hours. Interesting. So, I mean, it sounds like a situation where the South Korean people essentially just would not tolerate something like this coming from the president. Right.

You talked a little bit about this before, but I would love to hear more about South Korea's history with an authoritarian past and why this moment, why this announcement of martial law from the president was so alarming and so activating for South Koreans. Martial law in South Korea is a uniquely historic and charmed

traumatic event because of South Korea's autocratic history. South Korea is a young democracy. It only democratized in 1987. And in the decades before then, it had experienced multiple martial law decrees under military dictatorships through the 60s and 70s, where these strongman leaders would declare martial law because they wanted to quash political dissent.

And these periods of martial law were violent and suppressive. People couldn't go to school. They couldn't go to work. There was curfew. And if you protested it, there was a real chance you could be killed. But the last time that martial law was declared was 1980. That was when Jeon Doo-hwan, a military dictator, took power in 1979 through a coup.

And there was one historical moment that was an uprising that took place after that martial law in 1980 that so many South Koreans have been invoking now. They've been thinking about and has been very on the mindset of many South Koreans here because it was such a horrific event. What was that? In 1980, there was a Gwangju uprising. It's named after a southwestern city in South Korea.

Martial law troops take over the Jeollanam-do Provincial Government Building, claiming they are rooting out rioters. It was after the martial law that took place in 1980, all these pro-democracy activists, mostly students in Gwangju, rose up against it and they faced a very violent crackdown in response.

Citizens demanded the military step down and lift the emergency martial law. The reply, deadly force. There were soldiers who were ordered to fire indiscriminately into the crowd. State paratroopers were beating protesters. There are horrific images that are still available now. And somewhere between 200 and 1,000 people died. So this violent event eventually became a catalyst for South Korea's democratization in 1987. Hmm.

After 30 years of suffering under a military dictatorship, singing the national anthem in unison in the streets of Seoul was a form of resistance for the people.

So big picture is that South Koreans fought hard with their lives for democracy. And so many South Koreans believe that that era of violent martial law was one in the history books, you know, that was way behind them. That was not a modern day concern anymore. That's why when President Yoon declared it, it was almost unbelievable. I talked to so many Koreans who said they thought it was fake news, that it was some misreporting that was happening because they just could not imagine that they had regressed to

to that era in 2024. So it was a very shocking moment that did galvanize so many people in the middle of the night to go to the National Assembly and literally, like, demand a return to democracy. After the break, what happened when South Koreans rose up and took democracy into their own hands? We'll be right back.

Support today comes from ZBiotics. Let's face it, after a night of drinks, I don't bounce back like I used to. I have to choose. Either a great night or a great next day. That is, until I found pre-alcohol. ZBiotics is the first genetically engineered probiotic designed by PhD scientists to help with rough mornings after drinking.

Visit zbiotics.com slash reports to get 15% off your first order when you use reports at checkout. Zbiotics is backed with 100% money-back guarantee. So if you're unsatisfied for any reason, they'll refund your money. No questions asked. Remember to head to zbiotics.com slash reports and use the code reports.

So martial law was only in place for, as you said, a few hours before a lot of this was reversed because of the very dramatic response from those protesters from the National Assembly. But what was the reaction after that? Like, what has been happening over the last couple of weeks in response to what the president tried to do?

Yeah, the fallout has been swift. I mean, the National Assembly members introduced an impeachment motion almost immediately after that. Every cabinet member under President Yoon offered to resign. There were multiple investigations launched into the president into whether he committed an act of insurrection. And the president is actually still facing potential arrest as a result of these investigations.

It turned out that he had plotted the martial law basically only with his defense minister, who is one of his closest advisors. So that defense minister resigned. He's been arrested. And then there have been all these hearings that have really brought out all these, he

even more horrific details of how that night went down, how law enforcement were ordered to, quote unquote, drag out lawmakers so that they couldn't maintain a quorum to vote against his martial law decree, how the president had, you know, gone after even the leader of his own party and called for his arrest if possible.

found him at the National Assembly. So after all these details came out, the public just grew increasingly furious toward the president. His party members had sort of hoped that he would resign, but it was clear he wasn't going to. There was an impeachment vote that was introduced last weekend, but that failed, and President Yoon delivered a lengthy message defending his actions. I will fight to the end. I will fight to the end

The president said, I will fight to the end. He's arguing that it wasn't real martial law because he only sent a few troopers in and it wasn't as dramatic as, you know, those that happened under the military dictatorships. And he's saying, how can sending just a few troops in to the National Assembly be considered insurrection? How can you consider this an act of insurrection? It's not like a diplomatic event.

So he's saying, I will fight until the very end with the South Korean public. And he is defending his authority to declare martial law as a constitutional act, that he's in the right to do it. And then what happens now, now that he has officially been impeached?

So now President Yoon has been removed from power and the prime minister has taken over as caretaker president. And the case goes to the Constitutional Court, which basically serves the role of the U.S. Senate in an American presidential impeachment hearing.

So the constitutional court will decide whether to uphold the impeachment. And if they do decide to uphold it, he's removed from power and there's an election. If they reject it, then he comes back into power and this political turmoil will likely continue.

Michelle, I want to come back to this moment that we heard at the top of the show, the celebrations that followed the successful impeachment vote against President Yoon. You were there seeing some of those celebrations firsthand. Can you describe a little bit of what that moment was like and how the people that you talked to were feeling? Yeah, the impeachment rally outside the National Assembly on the day of the vote was just phenomenal.

It was demanding. It was very vibrant, colorful, loud, and very crowded. People were chanting, Impeach Yoon Sung Yeol! Impeach Yoon Sung Yeol! Impeach! Impeach!

But it was very orderly. I mean, South Korean political protests are almost like K-pop concerts because people are orderly. They're very organized. There are these dances that everyone does that they somehow all know to do. There are songs that they all know and chants that they make up. And even if you don't really know it, there are like lyrics that you could read off of the big jumbo screen.

If you don't know the song, you can read the lyrics and sing along. I mean, it is a totally different vibe than what you would think a political protest is. But it's part of this just very vibrant political protesting culture in South Korea. People love to protest. You know, there are protests all the time. I call it a national sport. People just love to feel heard, whether it's a union strike or whether they're unhappy with the government for any reason. They're just...

Now, the meaning of the national anthem...

Now the will of the people has been granted by heaven. I feel really great.

So this was obviously a thrilling moment for the people who'd shown up at this rally, for a lot of South Koreans who felt very invested in making sure that their voices were heard here. But I'm curious what this means for the rest of the world. Like from a geopolitical perspective, what is the significance here of President Yoon being impeached?

From a geopolitical perspective, I think we now enter a period where South Korea sort of takes a step back from major foreign policy activities, from major defense-related activities on the global stage. Under President Yoon, he had really focused on making South Korea more globally active. He really valued U.S.-South Korean alliance. This was very typical of a conservative South Korean president, but he took actions to become closer with Washington,

He made efforts to improve relations with Japan and coordinate more closely with U.S. and Japan to counter China and North Korea. And these were all very important steps that Washington viewed as a very active and engaged U.S. ally in Asia.

Under President Yoon, South Korea also developed relationships with NATO countries for the first time. And it became an important player in the war in Ukraine by sending munitions to help the U.S. defend Ukraine. So South Korea was becoming active on the foreign policy stage.

But now that it enters this caretaker presidency under the prime minister and then a potential election of a new president or the return of President Yoon if the impeachment fails, I think it means that you're going to see a less engaged South Korea on the global stage. And it comes at a really unfortunate time for the U.S.-South Korea alliance because South

President Trump is skeptical of the role of allies. He wants allies to play a greater role in paying towards cost sharing and show why that they still need U.S. troops in their countries. And this was going to be a thorny period in U.S.-South Korean relations no matter what because of the view that President Trump has towards South Korea and allies.

And what South Korea should be doing right now is trying to front end that, trying to build relationships with President Trump's team, even during the transition and be there on day one to really try to walk in lockstep with the Trump administration. But many foreign policy analysts are saying that South Korea is just not able to do that right now and may not be able to do that for months and months on end. That

That's so interesting that in some ways, while this is being hailed as a big victory for democracy, that it's also...

arguably not that great for either the rest of the world or even for the U.S. if South Korea under President Yoon was kind of a bulwark against a rising China, against North Korea, and that this is a moment where we're going to see South Korea turning inward, as you said, just as President Trump is coming in. And you'd hope that there would be a South Korean leader in a position to start building a relationship with him.

Exactly. And, you know, political transitions, presidential downfalls, it's not new to South Korean politics. You know, this happens, leadership transitions happen, presidents have been impeached, they've been arrested after they leave office. So this sort of drama is not new in South Korea, but...

how extreme it has been in such a short period of time relating to such a traumatic issue such as martial law during a very critical moment in South Korean policy. I think that makes this moment incredibly unique.

I also think that a lot of Americans hearing this and hearing about the events that have transpired in South Korea will find it kind of relatable. You know, the idea that a president declares martial law or is interested in using the military against the people, accusations that he essentially launched an insurrection, that, you know, we have had a recent past in the U.S. that strikes some similar notes. So I wonder...

Do you see a lesson here or a cautionary tale for the U.S. or for other countries that have struggled with potentially autocratic leaders? You know, South Korean democracy in this case prevailed in that the people rose, the people came out, they protested. Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans demanded a government that was a democracy. But in a way, the fact that

it was up to the people to stand up for the government shows a weakness in the South Korean democracy right now. Why is it that the executive was able to take such an action like this? What led to that? And why was it up to the people to stand up for their own government in this way? And what does that say about the health of the longevity of the strength of this democracy? I think these are really big questions that the country is going to be grappling with and many other countries may be taking away lessons for themselves as well.

Fascinating. Michelle, thank you so much for explaining all of this. Thank you so much. Michelle Yehee Lee covers South Korea for The Post. The Post is reporting on so many other stories today. So before we go, here are a couple more that we wanted to share with you.

First, more shifts in global politics. Germany's top politician, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, lost a vote of confidence today. The move triggered the dissolution of parliament. New elections will take place in February, seven months earlier than the standard schedule. The latest opinion poll suggests that there could be a rightward shift in the election results.

And in the U.S., a large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of the East Coast in recent days. It's raising a lot of questions about where they are coming from and why. The drones have been spotted in all sorts of places. In New Jersey, they've been seen over a scenic river, a military ammunition facility, even President-elect Trump's Bedminster Golf Course. There have also been sightings in Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia.

Authorities say they do not know who sent the drones, but they don't appear to be a threat to public safety. And the White House said a review of the reported sightings shows that the aircraft are being flown lawfully. Still, the FBI is asking residents to share any photos, videos, or other information they may have. That's it for Post Reports. Thanks for listening.

If you are looking for another way to go beyond the headlines and really dig in on the news from different perspectives, I have a show recommendation for you. The opinion section at The Post has its own podcast. It's called Impromptu. And you can hear Post opinions columnists having frank, thoughtful conversations on the news and cultural debates that we can't stop thinking about. You can find Impromptu wherever you listen to podcasts.

Today's show was produced by Emma Talcoff with help from Alana Gordon and Sabi Robinson. It was mixed by Sam Baer. It was edited by Maggie Penman with help from Lucy Perkins, Jen Amer, and Anna Fifield. I'm Martine Powers. We'll be back tomorrow with more stories from The Washington Post.

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