South Korea’s Political Drama Is Far From Over
Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law fractured the society. Those scars will take some time to heal.
March 24, 2025
By Karishma Vaswani
Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. Previously, she was the BBC's lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.
South Korea’s political drama is far from over.
Photographer: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
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South Korea is grappling with the longest presidential impeachment trial in the country’s history. The Constitutional Court is now overdue in delivering its verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol. If found guilty — as many expect — he will be forced to step down, triggering an election within 60 days. But the scars left on society will take much longer to heal.
The eight judges have presumably been worried about public opinion. Hundreds of thousands of people from rival camps have taken to the streets to protest ahead of the judgment. Schools and subway stations have been closed, with scores of police officers guarding the areas around the court.
The potential for violence in the days ahead is still great. Still, that shouldn’t take away from the urgent and necessary reform of the political system to prevent future abuse of power. Equally important is focusing on foreign policy challenges, and North Korea’s growing nuclear threat. Neither will be easy.
President Donald Trump’s administration has taken steps that could upend America’s alliance system, putting countries like South Korea at risk. He’s lashed out at Asian allies and has declined to confirm whether the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. All of this is pushing countries like Japan and South Korea to think far more seriously about rearmament.
The growing threat from North Korea is also prompting debate about when — not if — Seoul should develop nuclear weapons of its own. Yoon’s administration has at times flirted with the idea of South Korea pursuing its own deterrent. Whatever happens to him, it’s unclear how a future government might navigate this geopolitically fraught issue, despite the strength of domestic support.
These are the issues South Koreans should be focused on. Instead they’ve been embroiled in yet another crisis, one that is very much the product of their political system.
Imposition of martial law shocked the nation. It was last introduced in 1979 by Prime Minister Choi Kyu-hah following the assassination of President Park Chung-hee, who had seized power in a military coup in 1961. Yoon has yet to be formally removed from office, but it’s the corrective that South Korean society urgently needs. Public opinion has been leaning toward impeachment, as Bloomberg Economics notes, with 58% of those surveyed in favor and 37% against.
Domestic reform is needed,
but it’s on the foreign policy front that Yoon’s loss may be most keenly felt,
notes Edward Howell, an expert and lecturer on the politics and international relations of North Korea, the Korean Peninsula and East Asia at the University of Oxford.
“Yoon strengthened the trilateral relationship between Japan, the US and South Korea in ways that forged new momentum in their ties,” he told me.
“His departure will throw some of that into disarray. South Koreans need to ask themselves whether it is in their best interests at this juncture to cut ties with these partners when the international picture is so tumultuous.”
Yoon’s government devoted significant political capital to improving historically fractious relations with Japan, working with the Biden administration to bring the three nations together in a summit. Beijing bristled at what it saw as US hegemony in East Asia — but privately the initiative was welcomed in capitals across the region. That legacy is now in doubt, although recent trilateral naval exercises show all is not lost on this front.
But Washington under Trump is nothing if not unpredictable. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back a visit because of Seoul’s political uncertainty. Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy recently designated South Korea as a “sensitive country,” a label typically reserved for nations viewed as a threat to national security or nuclear nonproliferation. Nuclear states like India and Russia are on the list, but so are North Korea and Iran. The decision was reportedly made before President Joe Biden left office in January, but Seoul’s addition will no doubt complicate a delicate relationship.
Approval Ratings: Who South Koreans Want as Their Next President
Many voters are still unsure how they feel
Source: Bloomberg Economics, Gallup Korea
The man most likely to be the next president is only compounding the problems. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has made positive noises recently about the Washington-Seoul alliance, saying it should remain the “rock foundation” of national security. But past rhetoric has been less encouraging. He’s supported protests against Japan, and has talked up building ties with Beijing.
Before South Korea can fix its international picture, it needs to manage this internal turmoil. Power is highly concentrated in the presidency — adopting a parliamentary or semi-presidential system could help to distribute it more evenly between the executive and legislative branches and provide a strong check on authoritarian tendencies. Delegating more responsibility to local governments would also reduce the centralization of power.
As political systems around the world have shown, democracy is hard work. It requires persistent effort. South Korea’s is worth protecting.
More From Bloomberg Opinion:
Yoon’s government devoted significant political capital to improving historically fractious relations with Japan, working with the Biden administration to bring the three nations together in a summit. Beijing bristled at what it saw as US hegemony in East Asia — but privately the initiative was welcomed in capitals across the region. That legacy is now in doubt, although recent trilateral naval exercises show all is not lost on this front.
But Washington under Trump is nothing if not unpredictable. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back a visit because of Seoul’s political uncertainty. Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy recently designated South Korea as a “sensitive country,” a label typically reserved for nations viewed as a threat to national security or nuclear nonproliferation. Nuclear states like India and Russia are on the list, but so are North Korea and Iran. The decision was reportedly made before President Joe Biden left office in January, but Seoul’s addition will no doubt complicate a delicate relationship.
Approval Ratings: Who South Koreans Want as Their Next President
Many voters are still unsure how they feel
Source: Bloomberg Economics, Gallup Korea
The man most likely to be the next president is only compounding the problems. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has made positive noises recently about the Washington-Seoul alliance, saying it should remain the “rock foundation” of national security. But past rhetoric has been less encouraging. He’s supported protests against Japan, and has talked up building ties with Beijing.
Before South Korea can fix its international picture, it needs to manage this internal turmoil. Power is highly concentrated in the presidency — adopting a parliamentary or semi-presidential system could help to distribute it more evenly between the executive and legislative branches and provide a strong check on authoritarian tendencies. Delegating more responsibility to local governments would also reduce the centralization of power.
As political systems around the world have shown, democracy is hard work. It requires persistent effort. South Korea’s is worth protecting.
More From Bloomberg Opinion:
South Korea’s Growth Is a Casualty of Its Political Impasse: Daniel Moss
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Korea?: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Korea?
From South Korea to US, Democracy Could Die — or Get Stronger: Andreas Kluth
Want more Bloomberg Opinion? OPIN <GO>. Or you can subscribe to our daily newsletter .
Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. Previously, she was the BBC's lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Korea?: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Korea?
From South Korea to US, Democracy Could Die — or Get Stronger: Andreas Kluth
Want more Bloomberg Opinion? OPIN <GO>. Or you can subscribe to our daily newsletter .
Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. Previously, she was the BBC's lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.
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