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This Week in AsiaPolitics

Anxieties mount over South Korea’s democracy amid wait for verdict on Yoon

Observers warn the East Asian nation could be ‘engulfed’ by unrest if the Constitutional Court reinstates impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol

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A protester wearing a mask of impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol at a rally in Seoulon Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Park Chan-kyong
As South Korea awaits a decision from the Constitutional Court on the impeachment of suspended president Yoon Suk-yeol, the nation is facing increasing mass protests, divided political factions and growing concerns that the delay is undermining public trust in its democratic institutions.

“Anxieties are mounting over the country’s democracy and its future, as many fear the judicial system may fail to deliver justice,” Jung Suk-koo, a former executive editor of the progressive Hankyoreh daily, told This Week in Asia.

The Constitutional Court concluded Yoon’s impeachment hearings on February 25. Observers had expected a verdict by mid-March, as previous presidential impeachment cases were decided within two weeks of closing arguments. However, a month has passed and the court has not announced when it would deliver the ruling, leading to public frustration and speculation on reasons for the delay.

Farmers driving tractors have converged on Seoul, joined by labour unions calling for an all-out strike, in a show of force demanding the removal of the suspended president.

Street demonstrations by pro-democracy activists have reignited with fresh intensity, fuelled by the court’s postponements and fears that Yoon could escape removal from office.

If Yoon’s impeachment is rejected, the country could be engulfed in serious public unrest
Jung Suk-koo, political observer

The court has also reinstated a number of government officials and prosecutors impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly, further escalating tensions.

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