A HANDBAG THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK!

Saro Thiruppathy reports on the high drama that unfolded recently in South Korea as an arbitrary order declaring martial law caused chaos

Though popular brands such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai and Kia come to mind when the world thinks of South Korea, there is also a turbulent and dark side to the nation’s politics.

Scandals are frequent occurrences in that East Asian country; many of its leaders have been toppled, kicked out of office and even jailed due to fiduciary impropriety. Its parliament has also witnessed fisticuffs between politicians as a means of settling disputes.

Since this narrative is not about naming and shaming individuals or deep diving into the reasons for the high prevalence of corruption in government and so on, the focus is on the latest drama that unfolded in December.

RECENT ARREST An hour before midnight on 3 December, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol decided arbitrarily to declare martial law to retake control of the National Assembly, which was dominated by the country’s opposition Democratic Party (DP).

Yoon’s planned legislation was stymied by the opposition, and he was growing frustrated by the obstacles thrown at him to prevent him from achieving his goals. So for the first time since the country became a democracy in 1987, Yoon took the gamble of his political life and declared martial law.

And Yoon claimed that he was actually protecting South Korea from “anti-state forces,” implying that there were efforts by North Korea to undermine his leadership. However, the order was overturned by the National Assembly and withdrawn on 4 December, six hours after it was issued. This fateful decision led to his subsequent impeachment and eventual arrest.

Nevertheless, even though Yoon believed that he was actually protecting himself and the state, the South Korean voters went ballistic.

There were two camps as in every democracy – his ardent supporters who blocked the efforts of demonstrators and agents from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO, for short) from entering the presidential palace, and members of the other camp who bayed for his blood.

Senior military officials weren’t interested in protecting their commander in chief after the National Assembly met in an emergency session on 14 December and voted to impeach Yoon. On 31 December, an arrest warrant was issued with the charge of insurrection.

But Yoon wasn’t ready to surrender, and an extremely tense situation prevailed as CIO agents, demonstrators and his security detail battled it out in the freezing cold outside the heavily fortified presidential residence.

The second attempt to enter the premises was successful eventually, and CIO agents scaled the walls of the building and used bolt cutters to break through the barbed wire fortification.

LAME DUCK The opposition gained control of the South Korean parliament in April, and Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) had to form a minority government. So Yoon would have been on the backfoot for the rest of his five-year term, which began in 2022.

Even before he took office, the unicameral National Assembly had been under DP control and it was long at loggerheads with the recently impeached president over several issues. The Democrats also regularly obstructed Yoon’s domestic plans.

While the DP and its allies took 192 seats in the chamber of 300, the PPP and a satellite party could only secure 108 seats in parliament.

Since the life of the new parliament would exceed Yoon’s tenure, which will end in 2027, his dreams seemed to have been fading fast. So he was desperate to gain control of parliament to push through his legislation.

A political analyst summed up the situation when he said that Yoon was more like a dead duck than a lame one.

GIFTS GALORE Former prosecutor Yoon’s approval ratings had been poor for some time and fell to between 30 and 40 percent. Criticism of his leadership covered the economy and rising prices, not seeking opposition consensus on policy matters, appointing former prosecutors and friends to high positions in government, and whitewashing politicians who were implicated in scandals.

Add to this unholy mess of poor governance his wife’s scandal wherein she allegedly received a luxury handbag. She – Kim Keon-hee – loves the finer things in life, and enjoys being in the limelight.

However, what had the couple in a spot of trouble was her love for designer handbags. A spy camera captured her ‘not rejecting’ a Christian Dior handbag worth US$ 2,200, which was gifted to her by a pastor.

Anti-graft laws prohibit public officials and their spouses from accepting gifts valued at more than 750 dollars. Since Kim didn’t actively reject the gift, her critics claimed that she had been using her position for personal gratification. There are also allegations that she had been meddling in governmental affairs.

Corruption begins at the top and filters down to the grassroots in any country, and South Korea’s politicians seem to be no exception to this rule.