Following South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s abortive martial law fiasco, foreign media outlets have highlighted the supposedly peaceful and orderly public protests demanding the president’s ouster.
Reuters quoted researcher Stephanie Choi, who noted that light sticks used in the rallies symbolize the “power of solidarity while preserving the original principle of non-violence.”
Nihon Keizai Newspaper described the protests before the National Assembly on December 7 as “orderly, with the lively atmosphere of a festival, incorporating elements of entertainment.”
It’s true—South Korea’s demonstrations are generally more composed than, say, those in the United States. There are no extremists storming the National Assembly, no rioters looting stores or burning down buildings, and no major chaos spilling into public spaces.
But despite the peaceful protest praise, South Korea’s demonstrations are messier than they may appear at first glance.
On December 7, immediately after the failed impeachment motion against Yoon on December 7, protestors raged against ruling People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers who en masse boycotted the vote.
The day after, a box cutter and a placard demanding Yoon’s impeachment were discovered outside the residence of ruling party lawmaker Kim Jae-sup. His district office was targeted with a wreath of flowers bearing critical messages and pelted with eggs in condemnation. Kim has since requested police protection.
At the office of another ruling party lawmaker, Shin Dong-wook, a college student, pasted a poster stating, “What you did in the National Assembly on the 7th… is a declaration of war against the people.” Several other PPP politicians have faced comparable intimidation, with many of their offices battered with raw eggs.
On the other hand, Kim Yea-ji, one of the three PPP lawmakers who broke ranks to vote in last week’s impeachment motion, has been inundated with phone messages and voicemails calling for her resignation.
Meanwhile, street protests are also intensifying. In mid-November, 11 trade union members were detained in Gwanghwamun during a rally demanding Yoon’s resignation.
The demonstration escalated into a physical altercation between police and protesters, leaving one individual injured and transported to a nearby hospital. On Thursday, the same union group unlawfully blocked several roads and attempted to breach the presidential residence, calling for Yoon’s impeachment.
Last week, a protester claiming to “oppose injustice” attempted self-immolation by dousing himself with paint thinner on the day of Yoon’s impeachment vote. Similarly, on Wednesday in Chuncheon, another individual poured thinner over his bare torso while demanding Yoon’s indictment and impeachment.
In the conservative stronghold of Gyeongbuk province, banners calling for Yoon’s impeachment were repeatedly vandalized. Heightening the situation, an intern for a PPP lawmaker reportedly contacted a local banner company, using vulgar language to threaten the defacement of their signs.
Earlier this month, a 20-year-old man was detained after posting an Instagram photo of himself brandishing a knife alongside a menacing message to attack protesters at the Gwanghwamun rally. The threat was apparently aimed at “anti-Yoon” demonstrators.
This sort of pro-Yoon and anti-Yoon factional confrontation is what fueled more serious acts of terror in January when opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck in Busan and the assault on PPP lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin, who was bludgeoned with a stone by a teenager.
In fact, hostilities during impeachment proceedings have a history in South Korea. During former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment, physical face-offs were commonplace, resulting in dozens of injuries among police and protesters, the deaths of four pro-Park crusaders and multiple arrests.
Moreover, vicious, half-baked rumors about Park and her allies, along with personal insults directed at the then-president, circulated widely even through established media.
One can only hope that such unwarranted and unfortunate events do not repeat this time, as tensions are expected to surge in the coming days and weeks with another impeachment motion to be launched this Saturday (December 14).
Indeed, the right to assemble and protest are fundamental liberties of the citizens of liberal democracies. And in the wake of major turmoil this month, the South Korean people have displayed mainly remarkable resilience and orderly response to the government’s perceived injustice.
But at the same time, activism that defies common sense not only undermines democratic norms but also poses a threat to the integrity of democratic processes, especially at a time when maintaining lawful order is crucial.
Ultimately, it is the elected representatives who will decide whether to impeach President Yoon, while the decision to resign rests with the leader himself. If the parliament passes the articles of impeachment, the Constitutional Court will then act as the final arbiter, determining whether Yoon should be removed from office.
The public must likewise have confidence that the two institutions currently investigating Yoon will carry out a thorough review and it will be up to the criminal court to determine whether the president should face any penalties.
If South Koreans are dissatisfied with any of the outcomes, democratic channels—such as elections, petitions, and legal recourse—provide legitimate ways to seek redress. Intimidation and coercion, however, should have no role in the nation’s democratic political process in the days and weeks ahead.