Like a thief in the night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law. Yet, mere hours later, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik marshaled enough parliamentary votes to lift it. Woo pronounced it “invalid” and vowed that lawmakers “will protect democracy with the people.” Now what?
Yoon apparently failed to secure the backing of military leaders — or even key members of his own political party — before making this declaration. He would’ve been wise to heed the Emersonian warning: when you strike at the king, you must kill him — or, in this case, politically incapacitate parliament. Legislators defying his martial law is inconvenient. Military leaders refusing to enforce it? That’s fatal.
Meanwhile, this unfolding debacle reeks of a Trumpian power grab. After all, Trump has telegraphed his intent to pull a similar stunt if necessary to cling to power. Yoon, eager to impress, was among the first to congratulate Trump on his election. His U.S. ambassador even rushed to Mar-a-Lago to prematurely present credentials. Trump probably emboldened Yoon with the same authoritarian fervor that sparked his infamous insurrection. More to the point, Yoon might’ve orchestrated this as a dress rehearsal for Trump.
This Trumpian angle might explain reports that Yoon didn’t bother giving Biden a heads-up. It aligns with reports that French President Macron has invited Trump — not Biden — to represent the United States at this weekend’s reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral. After all, spiteful Trump seems hell-bent on making Biden look like the lamest lame-duck president in US history.
But Yoon’s martial law is as doomed to fail as Trump’s insurrection was. Trump, however, is undoubtedly taking notes. Next time, he’ll ensure military and political leaders are in lockstep, so Congress can’t block his power grab the way South Korea’s parliament is thwarting Yoon’s.