The guard of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol confronted the police who came to arrest him. Yoon is the subject of an impeachment procedure voted on December 14 by two-thirds of the deputies of the National Assembly.
Normally, he would have to surrender to the authorities. Instead, he refuses to comply and repeats to anyone who will listen that the country is threatened by hostile anti-state forces, internal and external. Great madness, reply those who oppose him. The political chaos that threatens to take hold in South Korea could have repercussions on the security of the region.
1) What are the justifications of Yoon and his supporters?
Yoon and his supporters adopted Donald Trump’s slogan: “Stop the Steal.” Trump and his supporters are spreading the false idea that it was Trump who won the 2020 election. Yoon and his supporters argue that Yoon is defending democracy and that he was right to declare martial law. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yoon had asked the soldiers who occupied the South Korean National Assembly to shoot elected officials who tried to enter it to reverse his decision. As a defense of democracy, we have seen better.
2) Why didn’t the authorities seek to arrest Yoon sooner?
Acting President Han Duck So tried for several days to prevent Yoon’s arrest by refusing to sign the impeachment document and refusing to appoint judges to vacant Supreme Court seats. Indeed, 3 of the 9 judges of this court must be appointed by the president or his replacement. And to be permanent, the impeachment of a president must be ratified by 6 judges out of 9. We understand that President Yoon’s chances of acquittal increase considerably with only 6 judges sitting on this court. On December 27, deputies impeached Han Duck So. The presidency is now held by the former Minister of Finance who has already appointed 2 of the 3 missing judges.
3) What international issues are hidden behind these events?
The crisis in South Korea illustrates the dangers of Donald Trump’s bad example in democracies. The question is all the more important because the United States has a military base of 28,000 people in South Korea. This base plays a key role not only in the military defense of South Korea, but also in the entire American military system in East Asia. This base, it is very obvious that China and North Korea want to get rid of it. However, Trump has already indicated that he wants South Korea to pay more for the maintenance of this base.
4) What could Trump do?
It is clear that Trump could use internal problems in South Korea as an excuse to close the American base there. President Yoon and his supporters are also seeking to close this base. This is because they cherish the dream of making a South Korean atomic bomb. Such a weapon would allow the South Koreans to break their dependence on the American nuclear umbrella, making the presence of American troops in South Korea less necessary.
5) How is the situation evolving?
Fortunately, the democratic forces in South Korea are particularly strong, at a moment in history when democracies need more than ever to show solidarity with each other to confront the Sino-Russian axis.
