The Tyrants' Playbook: Misogyny, Scapegoating and Corruption

South Korea's Six Hours of Chaos

Dec 05, 2024

A view of the main entrance to the National Assembly, blocked by martial law forces, parliamentary staff, and journalists. 서울의소리 VoiceOfSeoul, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Common

Last week, South Korea faced an extraordinary and dramatic six-hour self-coup attempt by its president, Yoon Suk Yeol, who, grappling with plummeting approval ratings and political scandals, declared martial law. His justification? Allegations of opposition collaboration with North Korea – claims widely dismissed as baseless. This martial law declaration, the first since the military dictatorship era of 1980, sent shockwaves through a nation now firmly rooted in democracy.

Yoon, a conservative elected in 2022 after a controversial campaign, based on misogynistic rhetoric and his appeal to disaffected young male voters. His campaign tapped into a narrative of "reverse discrimination" against men, framing gender equality and women's rights as threats to men's opportunities. This stance resonated with some young men in South Korea who perceived growing calls for equality as disadvantaging them. (Read about 4B movement in South Korea here)

While this rhetoric secured a narrow victory, it also deepened divisions in South Korean society. His administration has since faced intensifying scrutiny, culminating in a landslide loss for his party in the 2023 National Assembly elections and ongoing corruption investigations involving his closest allies and even his wife.

The martial law declaration, many observers agree, was a desperate gambit—a last-ditch effort to silence dissent, suppress political opposition, and size control over the media. The spectacle of police forces and helicopters blockading the National Assembly was chilling and momentarily paralysed the legislative process. Yet, the response from South Koreans was swift and decisive.

People gathered at the National Assembly to defend their democracy, demanding Yoon’s resignation. Their collective action forced Yoon to retract his decree within hours, a stunning reversal that shows the resilience of South Korea’s democratic institutions and the people’s determination to uphold their constitutional freedoms. He now faces the possibility of impeachment.

Yoon Suk Yeol's attempted power grab serves as a powerful reminder that the strength of a dictator, or any authoritarian leader, ultimately derives from the people they govern. Their power exists because we allow it. The response of the South Korean people offers a profound lesson in the power of collective action and resistance to protect their democracy and freedoms.

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