The simmering stand-off between South Korea’s President, Yoon Suk Yeol, and its Parliament erupted suddenly on Tuesday with the President proclaiming martial law. All political activity was to be banned and media freedom curbed completely. But such was the determination of the country’s parliamentarians, including those belonging to his own People’s Power Party, that they assembled post-haste in the night and unanimously rejected the presidential edict. Within hours of going on the air to impose martial law, a defeated President was forced to go on the air again in the wee hours of December 4 to withdraw the proclamation. Now, his continuance as president has become untenable, with the MPs giving notice of impeachment. Remarkably, neither the police nor the army obeyed his order to clear out the parliament complex and lock it, thus preventing MPs voting against his proclamation in unison. Though the fast-paced developments in Seoul are still to present a clearer picture, one thing is definitely clear: South Korea has become safe for democracy. The dark days of the martial law till the late 70s are well and truly behind it. The way the ordinary people gathered outside the parliament complex shouting against the Presidential decree even as MPs inside undid the intended mischief of the president gives hope that democracy may have struck deep roots in the soil of South Korea. Even though the ever inscrutable dictator neighbour Kim Jong Un plays with his nuclear toys helped along by Uncles Vladmir Putin and Xi Jinping. Not only America which has a huge security and economic stake in South Korea, but democrats every where will heave a sigh of relief that South Korea has been rescued from sinking into chaos.
