Yoon’s Failed Martial Law Bid Triggers South Korea’s Deepest Political Crisis in Decades

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol plunged the country into its gravest political turmoil in more than 40 years after abruptly declaring martial law in a televised address, vowing to eliminate what he called “anti-state forces” and defend the “constitutional democratic order.”

Following the announcement, Yoon ordered troops and police to surround the National Assembly. However, security forces did not fully seal off the complex, allowing enough lawmakers to enter the chamber and swiftly vote down the decree. No major violence was reported.

Despite the absence of bloodshed, the dramatic move sent shockwaves through South Korea’s political system, unsettling its diplomatic relations and rattling financial markets. The declaration also sparked nationwide protests, reviving painful memories of the country’s authoritarian past.

Yoon was subsequently ousted from office, paving the way for his liberal rival, Lee Jae-myung, to win a snap presidential election last June. Upon assuming office, Lee appointed three independent counsels to investigate allegations involving Yoon, his wife and close associates.

Beyond the rebellion case tied to the martial law attempt, Yoon faces several other trials. Prosecutors accuse him of ordering drone flights over North Korea in a bid to deliberately heighten tensions and create a pretext for imposing martial law. Additional charges include allegedly interfering with an investigation into the 2023 drowning of a marine and receiving free opinion polls from an election broker in exchange for political favours.

Any prison sentences arising from these lesser cases would only take effect if Yoon avoids the more severe penalties of life imprisonment or death in the rebellion trial. Observers consider a death sentence unlikely, as South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely impose capital punishment.

For many South Koreans, Yoon’s attempt to impose martial law—the first such move in over four decades—rekindled traumatic memories of the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed regimes used emergency powers, soldiers and tanks to crush pro-democracy protests.

South Korea also has a long history of pardoning disgraced former presidents in the name of national reconciliation. Analysts say Yoon may be counting on a similar outcome. Past beneficiaries include former strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who was sentenced to death at a district court for his 1979 coup and the deadly 1980 crackdown on pro-democracy protests that left about 200 people dead, before later receiving a pardon.