The Perils of South Korean Democracy

Abstract: In a nationally televised address on 3 December 2024, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared nationwide martial law for the first time since 1980. With nationwide protests growing, Yoon was impeached and eventually arrested on insurrection charges, marking South Korea's first arrest of a sitting president. This crisis, though shocking, reflects longstanding nationalist polarization rooted in unresolved conflicts tracing back to the Korean War. Such polarization distorts democratic competition, incentivizing partisan elites to prioritize state capture over democratic norms. South Korea's democracy, born amid nationalist conflict, faces persistent dangers as nationalist polarization erodes democratic stability and incentivizes cycles of political revenge.