How South Koreas Democracy Prevailed Over a Reckless Leader

When Yoon Suk Yeol was running for president, he had the word “king” written on his palm.South Koreans dismissed — and ridiculed — it as a shamanistic ritual that reflected his desire for top government office.But ​after his inauguration in May 2022, it didn’t take long for ​them to see an authoritarian streak in Mr.

Yoon.On short notice, he ​moved the presidential office from the graceful Blue House to a drab military building.When he turned 63 in December 2023, his security team sang songs honoring him as “a president sent from Heaven” and describing his “845,280 minutes” in office so far as “a time blessed.” Two months later, a college student who protested Mr.

Yoon’s decision to cut government budgets for scientific research was gagged and dragged out by the president’s bodyguards.When journalists published what he called “fake news,” prosecutors raided their homes and newsrooms to collect evidence.Mr.

Yoon kept pushing the envelope, until he made his fatal mistake: ​On Dec.3, he declared martial law​, threatening a deeply cherished part of South Korean life: democracy.To​ South Koreans, democracy has never been something given​; it was fought for and won through decades of struggle against authoritarian leaders at the cost of torture, imprisonment and bloodshed​.

All the major political milestones in South Korea — an end to dictatorship, the introduction of free elections, the ouster of abusive leaders — were achieved after citizens took to the streets.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....