May God Protect Korea from the Deluge: An Analysis of Protestant Support for Yoon Seok-yeol’s Martial Law (2024)

Abstract On 3 December 2024, president Yoon Seok-yeol declared martial law, plunging South Korea into an unprecedented political crisis. While officially justified as a response to alleged communist infiltration, it soon became clear that Yoon’s real objective was to suppress parliamentary opposition. Impeached in April 2025, his authoritarian turn revealed the deep social and political polarisation within South Korea. Although international media framed the crisis as an isolated power grab lacking popular support, this study shows that martial law found a favourable reception among certain conservative and Protestant groups. Convinced that the Democratic Party was orchestrating a communist conspiracy, these groups rallied in defence of Yoon, often resorting to conspiratorial and sometimes biblical rhetoric, especially within evangelical churches. To better understand how Korean Protestants engage with martial law and politics, we examined the history of Protestantism in Korea and conducted qualitative interviews with premillennialist and Presbyterian believers. While our fieldwork highlights the use of religious references – such as the Book of Revelation and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah – to interpret political and social realities, it also challenges the notion of an intrinsic and unbreakable link between Protestantism and conservatism. Attitudes towards Mr Yoon proved plural, albeit marked by strong elective affinities with conservative visions of society. In fact, this research shows that Korean Protestants are widely opposed to communism and to the inclusive agendas promoted by progressive parties, which are perceived as threats to the traditional family – indicating a society deeply divided between two incompatible moral and social visions.