As the Guardian has reported this afternoon:
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law” on Tuesday, accusing the country's opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathising with North Korea and paralysing the government with anti-state activities.
Yoon made the announcement during a televised briefing, vowing to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.” It wasn't immediately clear how the steps would affect the country's governance and democracy.
Let's be clear: the opposition in question is made up of democratically elected politicians.
Let's also be clear that no one in their right mind could come to the conclusion that the South Korean President has because no political party in South Korea exists to support its northern neighbour. They might not agree with the far-right line for the President, but they do not promote a pro-North Korean line.
So what is this all about? There is only one reasonable conclusion, which is likely to become ever more apparent as this plays out, and this is a Presidential coup to seize power put in place by a President whose own electoral support has been fading.
There is in this a precedent that looks to be horribly uncomfortable as to its consequences. The official opposition in South Korea appears to have been fulfilling its duty. It has challenged the government and the President. It has called for investigations into corruption. And it has demanded accountability. The result is a suspension of parliament and the imposition of martial law.
Who else might consider that sometime soon?
And where does this end?
Are the far-right now openly seeking the end of democracy? It is beginning to look like it. This might end in something very much worse than tears.
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The Right, far or not, has/ is running out of road and its last recourse is always going to be stunts like this and eventually violence.
Upon further reflection, we are seeing seeing Carl Schmitt’s observation that ‘Sovereign is he who makes the exception’ in action again.
It amazes me that the Right has no hesitation in using this concept and has become the ‘go to’ format for these matters.
The thing is, a State or party can still be sovereign by doing other more positive things with the rule of exception – like creating an NHS, printing money for investment, scrapping laws and budgets made by the abuse of sovereignty by previous (right-wing) governments who claimed there was a crisis in 2010 for example.
My view – and it won’t be popular – is that getting things done using the power of sovereignty to make an exception is also part of the political art of the possible – if only Labour would realise it.
Why is the political art of the possible now only associated with undemocracy and unfreedom?
Because maybe sovereignty is inculcated and corrupted with private wealth the world over.
It is horrifying to hear of yet another Prime Minister, President, or even a Council leader declaring that this thing here or that thing there is an emergency when they have the levers to make it a manageable problem.
You can justify some of the most barbaric, freedom destroying, life restricting impositions if you declare emergencies to quash dissent.
Is this another interference by our neo con friends in the USA. The numbers are legion. Its about time the world woke up to the terrible danger they pose to world peace. The American Empire is soaked in the blood of innocent people who want nothing else but the opportunity of managing their own affairs . Rejecting American hegemony, All over the globe ,especially in the Global South, Africa and Central and South America they are hated with a passion. Alas, Britain is being taken down with them. It goes without saying that Israel is now beyond the pale. The USA is mostly responsible for that too.
It has to be said that South Korea’s democratic system has come a LONG way if its parliament has been able to stop this coup.
Here in the “West”, could that happen too?
I agree
That was impressive
I just finished watching the launch of a new project ALCIDE (Activating the Law Creatively to Integrate Defense in Europe) on EU defense development and integration in the face of a returning Trump Presidency on Zoom. Put together by Frederick Fabbrini of the Dublin based Brexit Institute, it is well worth looking out. Regarding this thread the EU/US law Professor Franz Mayer pulled no punches when he warned that we are now entering a period of lawlessness under Trump. Reiterated in response to a question from a viewer about how quickly Trump could withdraw from NATO. He said such a question became meaningless when dealing with a far right autocrat who does not recognise any rule of law.