Yoon's martial law gambit rooted in South Korea's blood sport politics

Beneath the gloss of the country’s soft power and economic prowess lies a harsh and deeply polarised political system that punishes severely those who fall from power.

- Bhavan Jaipragas

By nearly every measure of good governance rule of law, corruption indexes, institutional quality South Korea excels, outpacing many other countries in Asia.

As a regional middle power, its resilience is nothing short of extraordinary, holding its ground against the perpetual menace of a volatile, nuclear-armed North Korea and the towering shadow of a dominant China with unwavering resolve.

Then there's its cultural influence. South Korea's reach is undeniable, reshaping global tastes in fashion, entertainment and music. Consider this: At a recent conference of Singapore's People's Action Party, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong walked onstage to the unmistakable strains of Apt, that earworm of a hit single featuring Blackpink's Rose.

A fleeting moment, perhaps unnoticed by global audiences, but one that encapsulates Seoul's ability to embed itself in everyday life far beyond its borders. Few countries have harnessed soft power as effectively or as pervasively as South Korea.

And yet, behind this polished veneer of governance and cultural dominance lies a political system that is deeply polarised, extremely ruthless and brutal to the losers in its zero-sum game of survival.

President Yoon Suk Yeol's overnight declaration - and rapid reversal of martial law has thrown South Korea's tumultuous Epolitics into stark relief. His justification, citing supposed Pyongyang sympathies among his political opponents, was met with near-universal scepticism.

As Seoul National University (SNU) law professor Jaemin Lee told this columnist, this was not about national security - it was Every likely about political "desperation".