South Korea’s Urgent Need for Strong Leadership

In the cold, wintry December of 2016, I attended the biggest protest I have ever seen. Millions of people of all ages holding candles in their hands, from young kids like myself to senior citizens, gathered in front of the Blue House—the South Korean presidential residency at the time—to demand then President Park Gyen-hye’s resignation. I was eight, holding my mom’s hand and unsure of my surroundings. I watched as people sang satirical parodies of songs to demand her resignation. It was a memorable experience that I never thought I would witness again.

However, I was proven wrong. Last month in South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the late evening, claiming he was protecting the country from “anti-state” forces. Given the country’s long history of using martial law to suppress democracy, it shocked everyone. Citizens gathered at the National Assembly, demanding the nullification of Yoon’s declaration; meanwhile, military and police were deployed to block members of the assembly from entering. Despite these obstacles, many of the members managed to penetrate the blockade, climbing over the fence of the building and voting to rescind the declaration, effectively nullifying President Yoon’s martial law just six hours after its declaration.

Just a week after the declaration, the National Assembly voted on the impeachment of President Yoon, suspending his role as a president. Prime Minister Han Duk-soo assumed the role of acting president but was also impeached after two weeks as a result of his refusal to appoint court justices for President Yoon’s trial. As a result, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok became the new acting president of South Korea. Shortly after Choi took office, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials issued an arrest warrant on President Yoon after he refused to attend three summons. This made Yoon the first ever president in South Korea’s history to be arrested while sitting in office. 

In just a span of a month, South Korea experienced three different individuals taking on the presidency and the arrest of a sitting president for the first time in its history. These rapid changes in leadership left the nation politically unstable and more vulnerable to potential North Korean aggression. The nation was plunged into further chaos, leading many citizens to be concerned about the future of the country. 

As South Korea enters the new year, it must elect a new president capable of leading the country through this crisis. One prominent presidential candidate is Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party. During the 2022 presidential election, Lee narrowly lost to Yoon by a slim margin of 0.8 percentage points. Shortly after his loss, Lee grew his influence in politics, securing his seat in the Korean parliament and becoming the leader of the opposition party in the same year. His Democratic Party became the supermajority in the parliament last April, granting him power to oppose President Yoon. However, his rise in politics has been marred by numerous legal problems and controversies from the past, casting doubt on his capability as a presidential candidate. 

In 2023, Lee Jae-myung faced charges related to several scandals stemming from his time as the mayor of Seongnam City and the governor of Gyeonggi Province. Lee was accused of illegally favoring private investors during a real estate project between 2014 and 2017. Additionally, Lee was accused of asking a local underwear manufacturer to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea between 2019 and 2020. Despite several accusations against him, Lee has stood strong, denying all the charges. Furthermore, due to his status as a lawmaker, he could not be arrested unless the legislature voted to allow for an arrest warrant, which meant his political career could withstand. These charges against him questioned his credibility as a leader, raising concerns about how he would act as a president. 

Tragically, since the corruption allegations against Lee first surfaced, five individuals closely tied to him have committed suicide. One of the deceased surnamed Jeon, who served as Lee Jaee-myung’s chief secretary, left a six-page note. It is known that the note contained Lee’s name, but the deceased's family refused to disclose the content to the public. Kim Gi-hyeon, the leader of President Yoon’s People Power Party, questioned why so many people connected to Lee had met the tragic deaths. Lee, however, blamed prosecutors for conducting “excessive” investigations against the deceased, which he claimed had contributed to these suicides. Although there is no direct evidence that Lee was involved in these suicides, the circumstances raise significant suspicion that Lee’s actions or association might have caused these tragedies.

More recently in November, Lee was convicted of violating election law and received a suspended prison term by a court, accusing him of making false statements during the 2022 presidential campaign. Prosecutors charged Lee with making two false claims relating to two development projects in Seongnam during his tenure as the mayor. They argued that Lee deliberately misled the public to distance himself from the controversies and improve his chances of winning the election. If the accusation stands, Lee will lose his seat in the assembly and be denied from running for president. While Lee has denied all the charges and appealed the verdict, these actions reflect Lee’s defiance of democracy, destroying the trust and respect of the people as a presidential candidate who is expected to lead with integrity.

Lee Jae-myung with his accusations make him an unreliable candidate who may repeat his wrongdoing with greater power as a president. On the other hand, President Yoon with his controversial declaration of martial law earned himself the title of the head of attempted rebellion. These two individuals have added to the political chaos growing since the start of the 21st century. Out of six presidents of South Korea since 2000, more than half have faced impeachment or been arrested. South Korea is in desperate need for strong leadership to end this destructive cycle. 

As someone who witnessed two impeachments of presidents in my lifetime, I find it both reassuring to see the power of the people in democracy and alarming to see the frightening future of my home country. With Lee’s accusations and Yoon’s arrest, neither Lee nor Yoon are capable of running a country in this fragile state. There will be no improvement in the situation unless a stronger and more capable candidate emerges who can lead the nation out of this political turmoil.