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Yoon digs in heels after catapulting South Korea into crisis
Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law Tuesday night has not only brought on political pandemonium and shocked the country, but has also created serious uncertainty for Korea’s economy and foreign relations.
Koreans are disappointed and angry that Yoon has not apologized for — or even acknowledged — the chaos brought on by his poor judgment, but is instead rushing to justify his actions while blaming the opposition party and other adversarial forces. It’s widely felt that this crisis demands a legal and institutional solution, such as Yoon stepping down on his own volition or being impeached by the National Assembly. Otherwise, this chaotic period will have to be ended by the will of the people as expressed in the public square.
Yoon’s presidential office told reporters Thursday that the president didn’t have a statement to make.
Some thought Yoon might offer an apology to the public following his meeting Wednesday with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho and other veteran lawmakers from the ruling party, but Yoon ruled out that option.
Thursday morning, Yoon agreed to dismiss Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who had tendered his resignation after being outed as the one who had proposed declaring martial law. Yoon then nominated Choi Byung-hyuk, Korean ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to serve in Kim’s stead.
By dismissing Kim, Yoon seems set on ducking responsibility for the subversion of Korea’s constitutional order on the eve of the National Assembly’s vote on a bill of impeachment.
As Yoon’s stubborn silence continues, the presidential office and pro-Yoon lawmakers in the PPP have launched an all-out public relations campaign. Senior officials at the presidential office asserted the lawfulness and legitimacy of Yoon’s martial law declaration, conveying the president’s position that he had “taken a bold step as a champion of the Constitution against forces seeking to destroy our liberal democracy” and sent “a warning to the Democratic Party.”
That was the position Yoon expressed during his meeting with senior members of the PPP on Wednesday. Yoon calculates that he can circumvent allegations of insurrection raised by pundits and the press and survive the impeachment crisis with the help of PPP lawmakers who are terrified at the prospect of losing power.
The problem is that Yoon’s continued stubbornness will only create more anxiety and uncertainty in Korean politics and ultimately lead to a cascading crisis for people’s pocketbooks, the national economy and foreign relations.
The business community is concerned that negative factors including apparent skittishness among foreign investors and volatility in the won-dollar exchange rate could lead to a drop in Korea’s credibility overseas.
“Sluggish demand at home was already a serious problem, and Trump’s reelection is expected to slash our exports to the US. And now we have spreading political instability, which could have a negative impact on the economy as a whole,” said Kim Jung-sik, professor emeritus in the economics department at Yonsei University.
Korean foreign relations could take a hit as well. While Yoon has often played up Korea’s rock-solid alliance with the US, senior officials from the US State Department and the White House (including US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell) described Yoon’s declaration of martial law as a serious misjudgment on Wednesday. The damage to Korea’s international image is also becoming apparent, with major countries listing Korea as a risky travel destination.
“In an instant, we’ve gone from being an advanced democracy in East Asia to being a country that doesn’t respect democracy. Major countries like the US and Japan will be reluctant to contact Korea for now because of political uncertainty,” said Hong Hyun-ik, former head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.
Experts say that if Yoon refuses to acknowledge his mistake and step down, the National Assembly will need to find a solution by either halting Yoon’s ability to exercise power through impeachment until the Constitutional Court can make a final decision or by amending the Constitution to shorten Yoon’s term in office.
“What worries me most is the likelihood that rifts in our society will widen during a deadlock where nothing is done to address public anger. To clear up that confusion peacefully, we need to use the legal mechanism of impeachment. But for that to happen, politicians will have to do their job,” said Chae Jin-won, a professor at the Kyung Hee University Institute of Public Governance.
By Lee Seung-jun, staff reporter (HANI)