A rallying call for democracy in South Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3 for the first time in 44 years. As shocking as the incident was, Yoon’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) initially responded by refusing to impeach the president. Instead, conservative lawmakers prioritized party loyalty over accountability, and the impeachment vote failed to achieve a quorum on Dec. 7.

The scene echoed attempts to impeach Donald Trump in 2019 for abuse of power and in 2021 for inciting an insurrection.