[Reporter’s Notebook] Democracy Is Not a Given

Democracy Is as Hard to Defend as It Is to Achieve
Concerns Rise as Martial Law Declaration Shakes Public Trust
Restoring External Confidence in Korean Democracy Will Take Time
Calls Grow for Institutional Reforms to Safeguard Democratic Values

"Let university students protect democracy" "We want to live safely" "From emergency to everyday life"

The V-Dem Institute for Democracy and Diversity at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found a familiar photo in a report published this month. The photo of hundreds of university student protesters holding signs written in Hangul was taken at the Yeouido rally on December 7, 2024.

The reporter also recalled being among that crowd. It was the day the first impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, who had declared martial law on December 3, was submitted to the National Assembly plenary session. The crowd supporting the passage of the impeachment motion gathered in front of the National Assembly. Walking into the protesters, their words could be heard: “We have to endure for a long time, so let’s not get tired already.”

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), an economic analysis organization affiliated with the British magazine The Economist, also evaluated Korean democracy after the martial law incident as “wobbling.” The word wobble expresses not only physical instability but also emotional or mental turmoil. This means that Korean democracy is receiving much more negative evaluations externally than it is perceived internally. Although Korea has been regarded as a model democracy since the direct presidential election constitutional amendment in 1987, warning signs have been lit for the system that has severed ties with the military, strictly upheld the separation of powers, and strengthened parliamentary democracy.

Photo on page 8 of the "2025 Democracy Report" published by the V-dem Institute for Democracy and Diversity under the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. (Source=V-Dem)

President Yoon’s declaration of martial law showed that democracy can regress in an instant. As the EIU pointed out in its report as an institutional blind spot of Korean politics, the Korean constitution explicitly grants the president the authority to declare martial law in an emergency. While research institutions explained that President Yoon’s martial law declaration failed, they commonly agreed that the mere declaration of martial law can cause democracy to regress.

Martial law was lifted, and with the passage of President Yoon’s impeachment motion, it was thought that life had returned to normal. However, it seems that it will take time to restore external trust. Democracy, which was taken for granted, is as difficult to protect as it is to achieve. How much longer must the citizens who came out to the square endure?

Korea has experienced military regimes in the past but also preserved democratic values through democratization movements. The respect Koreans have for democratic institutions and their active efforts to protect democracy are strengths of Korean politics highly regarded by international research institutions.

Although this is a moment of crisis where the democracy we have protected is evaluated as having regressed, our will to defend democracy remains unbroken. It is time for more active efforts to uphold democratic values. Institutional improvements are urgently needed so that no one can destroy democracy.