Cover Story: South Korean President’s Attempt at Martial Law May Hasten His Exit

Calls for Yoon’s impeachment won’t end with his apology for suspending civil liberties

In a dramatic turn of events last week, South Korea plunged into political chaos after President Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated attempt to impose martial law sparked a six-hour standoff, shocking the world and rattling one of Asia’s leading democracies.

The move, which many viewed as a severe overreach, has left Yoon politically isolated and facing calls for impeachment. Although he later apologized for his ill-fated attempt and has avoided an impeachment so far, political unrest is expected to continue.

In the early hours of Dec. 4, military helicopters landed near the National Assembly in Seoul as combat-ready troops surrounded the parliament complex. Staff barricaded themselves inside while protesters clashed with soldiers outside. Though no force was used, the scenes evoked South Korea’s dark history of military coups, including the December 1979 coup dramatized in the 2023 blockbuster movie Seoul Spring.

Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul on Dec. 4 2024, after South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law.