South Korea: what did the army do?

Happily, the rapid reaction of the civilian defenders of democracy made further debate within the South Korean armed forces unnecessary, but what might happen if such a dilemma arose in a democracy with a deeply divided and fiercely partisan population? A democracy like the United States, for example.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s television broadcast on Dec. 2, 2024, made no sense whatever because there was no need to 'to protect the country from North Korea's Communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements,' writes Gwynne Dyer. Screen capture image courtesy of CNN

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

December 5, 2024

LONDON, U.K.—The South Korean president’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 2 came out of a clear blue sky.

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