King's College London

Following President Yoon Suk-Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024, international observers raised alarms over democratic backsliding. However, research published in the Journal of Contemporary Asia argues that the rapid popular uprising and Yoon's subsequent impeachment highlight the nation's democratic resilience.

Authors Soohyun Lee, of King's College London, and Timo Fleckenstein, of the London School of Economics, identify a distinct pattern: democratic standards tend to deteriorate under conservative leadership but are consistently restored under progressive administrations. The paper challenges two received wisdoms in the literature: that Confucian political culture explains democratic weakness, and that Korean political parties are inherently dysfunctional. Instead, it points to the rise of programmatic party competition as evidence of democratic maturation.

The researchers warn, however, of stagnation rooted not in culture but in constitutional architecture. The country suffers from an "imperial presidency" that concentrates power in the executive while leaving parliament weak. Combined with a strict one-term presidential limit, this produces "lame duck" leaders, deep polarisation, and legislative gridlock. The paper also highlights the outsized influence of "chaebols," the family-owned conglomerates whose illicit political financing and frequent pardoning erode the rule of law.

The authors conclude that South Korea needs fundamental constitutional reform. Recalibrating executive–legislative relations would strengthen the party-political system, which they identify as the linchpin of democratic consolidation. Curbing corporate dominance, they argue, is the other prerequisite for securing the future of one of Asia's most dynamic democracies.