Resilient Democracy or Fragile Democracy? The Declaration of Martial Law and Presidential Impeachment in South Korea

This article investigates the implications of South Korea’s 2024 martial law declaration and subsequent presidential impeachment for the study of democratic backsliding and resilience. It engages directly with key debates: whether established democracies remain vulnerable to backsliding despite achieving consolidation, and how underlying structural factors contribute to democratic fragility. While South Korea has often been seen as a model of democratic consolidation since its 1987 transition, this unprecedented crisis revealed significant vulnerabilities. Focusing on three key areas—the presidentialized politics, a polarized two-party system, and a winner-takes-all electoral system—we argue that South Korea’s experience cannot be fully understood through the lens of democratic resilience alone. These findings challenge prevailing theories of democratic consolidation and show that even well-established democracies remain vulnerable to backsliding. We propose institutional reforms, with some cultural aspects, to address democratic vulnerabilities, offering lessons for emerging and established democracies facing threats to democratic stability.