What has Happened to the Poster Child: is South Korean Democracy Backsliding?

South Korean democracy had been under attack. This was most dramatically demonstrated by President Yoon Suk-Yeol’s attempt to impose martial law in late 2024. But it was not the only challenge to Korean democracy, previously regarded as one of the most successful “third-wave” democracies. While recognising episodes of democratic regression, this article challenges arguments of Korean democracy backsliding and instead points to a democratic rollercoaster: ascent under progressive leadership followed by sharp decline under right-wing administrations. Democratic resilience is also evidenced in civil society mobilisation, popular uprisings in democratic crises, and the rise of programmatic party competition, argued here to be vital for democratic consolidation. Significant achievements notwithstanding, the article identifies a profound crisis of Korean democratic politics. It proposes an institutionalist account of democratic stagnation that puts constitutional flaws of the political system and the chaebol-dominated economy centre-stage. This institutionalist perspective informs the argument that fundamental constitutional reform recalibrating the relationship between the executive and legislature is imperative, above all to strengthen the party-political system. This research contends that it is the Korean constitutional architecture that has been compromising the mediating capacity of political parties and, doing so, holding back democratic progress.