Every day, thousands of protesters gather near South Korea's top coats. This strengthened the wall with razor wires to prepare a ruling that could allow eight justice to shape the future of democracy in the country. Many people yell at the country's president, Yoon Sook Yeol, to yell at him for being accused of “rebellion.” Nearby, a group of rivals chant his reinstatement, calling his perpetrator by Congress “injustice.”
In South Korea, it hasn't run that high in South Korea before it decides as it is now, but it is panicking for the Constitutional Court to decide whether to remove or revive Yoon. The court's ruling could help end months of political turmoil that was unleashed on December 3rd in an attempt not to place his country under martial law.
Or you can push your country into a deeper political crisis.
The Koreans are tired of long-term political uncertainty and hope that the court will make a decision soon. But it has kept them in the upper hand for weeks and has not given any hints when that justice will likely bring about the most consequential ruling of their careers.
Police are prepared for the worst, regardless of what the decision will be. Schools, street vendors and former royal palaces located nearby the Constitutional Court will be closed on the day of sentencing. Police asked for the removal of rocks, empty bottles and trash cans. Approximately 14,000 police officers are ready to deploy. Drones are prohibited from flying through courts, and all 86,000 privately owned guns in the country must remain locked up in police stations.
As deliberations dragged on, there were plenty of conspiracy theories and speculation thriving. Some suggested that the courts were irreparably divided. (At least six out of eight justice votes are needed to remove Mr. Yoon, otherwise he will be resurrected.) Others said it would only take time to watertighten historic domination.
“The country is at a crossroads,” said Chogabue, a well-known Korean journalist and publisher who has been covering the country's political evolution since 1971.
Yoon's martial law lasted only six hours, but it sparked anger among many Koreans. The National Assembly fired him each on December 14th and suspended him from office. If Yoon is fired, South Korea will elect a new president within 60 days.
Polls in recent weeks have shown that Koreans prefer Yoon's expulsion over about three or two reinstatement. But in a deeply divided country, the parliamentary decision to each parliament promoted political rights and terror and hatred of their progressive political opposition.
Whatever it decides, the courts will anger most of society. People on both sides shaved their heads and hunger strikes to push their demands against them.
“There's some fuss about supporting Yoon's blast each, but the political landscape will soon move towards the presidential election,” said Shan E., a professor of political science at Sogang University in Seoul. “But if he takes office, even those who patiently waited for the ruling will go on the streets. There will be riots.”
In a typical anti-Yoon rally, participants retain signs that call him the “rebellion mastermind,” and chant his “immediate exile.”
However, far-right Christian pastors and lawmakers who supported Yun threatened to “smash” the court if they decided to take him away. In January, many Yoon supporters destroyed Seoul District Court after a judge issued a warrant to arrest him on the riot charges. Two Yun's supporters died after they burned in protest against the bluff each.
Police also assigned a bodyguard to main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung after his party reported the threat of anonymous assassination. Officers escorted eight justice on commutes with the court.
“We urge people to respect and accept what the courts decide,” said Finance Minister Choi Sang-Mock, acting president of the country, who expressed concern over the possibility of violent clashes.
When the court ruled in 2017 that another perpetrator, President Park Gun Hai, would be dismissed, the resulting protests did not result in violent deaths, but four people who were attacked by heart failure or fallen objects were killed.
In an increasingly polarized era, Yun's perpetrator trial is being more emotionally charged.
In 2017, rival parties agreed weeks before the court's decision, and weeks before the ruling that they respected it. Park waited silently for the ruling, but her party was embarrassed by corruption and abuse of power.
And Yoon, who is facing criminal charges for the rebellion, had no intention of going quietly. His people's power parties and most of the country's older and church right-wing voters gathered behind him.
He defended the declaration of martial law in an effort to save his country from the “dictatorship” of opposition-controlled Parliament and “anti-defense forces.”
However, the political instability that Yoon left his country without the elected leader at the helm as North Korea escalated its nuclear threat and strengthened its military ties with Russia. South Korea is one of the important American ally, but its leader has not yet met President Donald J. Trump, but leaders from other countries, including Japan, have one.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses has decided to skip South Korea on his upcoming trip to the Indo-Pacific region while political scope remains. In February, the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2024 downgraded South Korea from “complete” to “flawed democracy” to “flawed.”
In his final discussion at the Constitutional Court last month, Yoon told the Prime Minister that if he was allowed to resume his presidency, he would leave the domestic affairs and focus on diplomacy. However, opposition leader Lee said Yun has already done enough damage to the country's global image.
“Only if we restore normal leadership we can overcome the current crisis,” he said.
