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How does a democratic country hold its elected president accountable for a power grab? South Korea provides one example. This week, Korean prosecutors recommended the death penalty for its ex-president in connection with his attempt to declare martial law in December of 2024. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Seoul on the country's efforts to fortify its democracy.
ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: A court in Seoul held its final hearing this week for Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of insurrection. Assistant special counsel Park Eok-su summed up the evidence of how Yoon tried to crack down on people who could limit his power. Yoon's martial law decree limited citizens' political rights, Park said, and he sent soldiers and police to seize control of Parliament.
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PARK EOK-SU: (Through interpreter) The shock and anxiety it caused to the people and the nation was indescribable.
KUHN: But soldiers balked at their orders.
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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting in non-English language).
KUHN: Protesters took to the streets and lawmakers voted down Yoon's decree within hours. Still, the crisis shook the world's trust in South Korea as a stable democracy. Park said that the court's sentence needs to deter future power grabs.
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PARK: (Through interpreter) The people hope for a strong punishment and expect and trust that the courts, the last bastion of justice, will fulfill that role.
KUHN: He added that Yoon has shown no remorse.
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PARK: (Through interpreter) Therefore, I request that you sentence the defendant to death.
KUHN: Yoon told the court that he just wanted to send a wake-up call to citizens that opposition lawmakers were paralyzing the government. So rather than undermining democracy, he argued, he was protecting it.
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YOON SUK YEOL: (Through interpreter) I implore you to consider the grave responsibility I bore as the president to prevent constitutional collapse and governmental paralysis during a national crisis. This can never constitute subversion of the constitution.
KUHN: The progressive administration of President Lee Jae Myung that followed Yoon has suggested reforms to check presidential powers, such as restricting presidents to two four-year terms instead of the current single five-year one and tightening up the country's martial law act. But Shin Jin-Wook, a professor of sociology at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, says that may not be enough.
SHIN JIN-WOOK: (Through interpreter) Reforms in the right direction don't automatically mean the system will protect democracy. In politics, an overwhelming bipartisan majority that respects democratic and constitutional norms and values is important.
KUHN: Shin notes that many conservative opposition politicians still think Yoon's martial law bid was justified. He adds that many South Koreans aren't sure that if there's another power grab big powers, including the U.S., will stand up for democracy or just use the crisis for their own political aims.
SHIN: (Through interpreter) Many Koreans think the latter possibility can't be ruled out. They think that in this era, Koreans will be left to protect their democracy and human rights on their own.
KUHN: A verdict in Yoon's insurrection trial is expected next month. South Korea hasn't executed anyone for nearly three decades, so even if Yoon gets the death penalty, it'll probably be commuted to life in prison.
Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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