The Martial Law That Wasn’t: Lessons from South Korea’s "Oops" Moment

How to Lose a Defense Minister in 10 Hours

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Governments, they’re just like us: prone to wild impulses, regrettable decisions, and that universal human experience of saying, “Wait, did I really just do that?” Case in point: South Korea’s brief, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flirtation with martial law.

This week, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun resigned after deciding, perhaps unwisely, that imposing military rule was the best way to handle some pesky political turbulence. President Yoon Suk Yeol, presumably realizing that martial law tends to lack mass appeal, accepted Kim’s resignation and promised a fresh start with a new defense minister.

For those of us outside the Blue House looking in, it’s a humbling reminder of how tenuous the scaffolding of government stability really is. One moment, you’re holding a press conference about the virtues of democracy; the next, you’re hurriedly rescinding martial law while your approval ratings plummet faster than your defense minister’s career prospects.

The Plot Thickens (Briefly, Then Unravels)

The backstory is almost too on-the-nose to be believable. Kim Yong-hyun, presumably inspired by the “go big or go home” school of crisis management, suggested martial law as the cure for anti-state activities. The backlash was immediate and ferocious, forcing the administration into the kind of backpedaling that could win Olympic medals.