Since my last column in early December, South Korea has experienced massive political turmoil. On Dec. 3, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, seemingly as part of an attempted self-coup. Several hours later the National Assembly managed to convene a plenary session to revoke the martial law decree. The ensuing 10 days were marked by political chaos, including a failed National Assembly vote to impeach Yoon, arrests and impeachments of government ministers and a leadership vacuum in the president’s office. On Dec. 14, Yoon was finally impeached by the National Assembly and suspended from his duties.

This did not stabilize the situation. Acting President Han Duck-soo was impeached on Dec. 27, after refusing to confirm the nominations of three Constitutional Court justices necessary to provide legitimacy for its ruling on Yoon’s impeachment. On Dec. 30, a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon, who is accused of insurrection by a joint investigative body (the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, prosecutors and police). A Jan. 3 attempt to serve the warrant at the presidential residence led to an armed standoff between law enforcement and the Presidential Security Service (PSS). Acting President Choi Sang-mok has apparently refused to order the PSS to stand down. Social tension is also high, as pro- and anti-Yoon supporters gather daily in the streets. In short, South Korea is in a profound institutional political crisis. South Korea’s status as........

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