By Jackie Grunsell
The end of last year saw dramatic and rapidly changing events in South Korea. On 3 December President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to impose martial law, in effect a coup giving him absolute power. The declaration of a state of emergency was justified as aiming to eradicate ‘pro-North, anti-state forces’ that had been attempting to paralyse his government and undermine the constitution.
The move called in the military and imposed bans on political parties and parliamentary activity as well as the placing the media under government control. Within six hours the tables were turned. 190 opposition politicians fought off attempts by the military to stop them entering the National Assembly to unanimously lift the martial law. They were aided by growing crowds of thousands of protesters coming out on the street in opposition to Yoon.
This seemingly rash power grab by Yoon, a member of the People’s Power Party (PPP), comes on the back of political crisis lasting ever since he won an election in 2022 by a small margin. Meanwhile the opposition liberal DPK (Democratic Party), hold the majority of National Assembly seats. Both the PPP and DPK are pro-capitalist parties. The result has been months of stalemate when it came to DPK moves to push through budget cuts which targeted the entire presidential office and national security office.
A crisis in healthcare has gripped South Korea with attacks on conditions of healthcare workers meaning doctors have been out on strike since February 2024 and many more have resigned their posts completely. Meanwhile the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) had also called a strike of 70,000 transport, catering and cleaning staff in early December demanding wage increases and Yoon’s resignation. The coup attempt was met with further strikes of workers calling for Yoon to go.
Incredibly, this is the same man who the US Biden administration proposed for a Nobel Peace Prize and who hosted the US-backed anti-China ‘summit for democracy’ in March 2024. Yoon’s actions are a clear illustration of the fragility of capitalist ’democracy’. When threatened, the system will not hesitate to use authoritarian measures, imposing military rule if it deems it necessary, throwing away any pretence at democratic rights for the masses of ordinary people.
As the new year began, we witnessed the eventual arrest of Yoon and his refusal to admit wrongdoing. South Korea, an important ally of Western imperialism, has now become a hugely destabilising force in the crisis-ridden region.
North Korea has already taken advantage of the crisis by carrying out another missile test. South Korean society is highly polarised but the workers movement is asserting itself. The KCTU has so far tended to rely on parliamentary mechanisms to provide answers to the political crisis but could use its power to call for workers committees capable of organising generalised strike actions and build independent working-class organisation. Only this would be capable of bringing about genuine democracy and promoting better living conditions for the masses now caught up in the chaos and turmoil that capitalism has created.
