OPINION:
The Korean Peninsula has long been a geopolitical battleground for the world’s four major powers: the U.S., Russia, China and Japan.
China and Russia border the peninsula, and Japan is a close neighbor just across the sea. The U.S. is geographically the farthest away of the three, but it is the closest in relationship. To protect the Republic of Korea and all it stands for, the U.S. participated in the 1950 Korean War. Some 36,000 U.S. soldiers were killed in action. After the ceasefire, the U.S. served as a patron, providing aid and support to South Korea.
Since 1954, the State Department set out to provide extensive support for the postwar restoration. One of the key support programs was the Minnesota Project, which helped rebuild Seoul National University. In 2015, during my time as president of SNU, the school held a commemorative event to mark the 70th anniversary of the Minnesota Project. Thanks to it, SNU has grown into a world-class university in education and research, positioned as one of the top 50 institutions in the world, according to QS and The Times rankings.
SNU graduates pioneered Korea’s industrialization process, achieving breakthroughs in semiconductors, automobiles, shipbuilding, aviation and weapons. The Republic of Korea managed to achieve industrialization in the shortest period in history and is now the world’s 10th largest economy.
Compared with the fast pace of its economic development, Korea’s political democratization proceeded slowly. As in other countries in Asia, Africa and South America right after independence, the authoritarian system worked for a while. However, the constitutional government was highly unstable. The constitution was established in 1948, and after nine amendments, the 10th constitution was ratified in 1987. The constitutional government was finally stabilized and further consolidated liberal democracy.
The 1987 constitution lasts to this day. Under it, the Korean government has experienced five government transitions. The peaceful transitions of power indicate that constitutional government is functioning well. It does not mean, however, that there has been no political turbulence. The National Assembly of Korea impeached three incumbent presidents. One impeachment was dismissed by the Constitutional Court, but the other two were accepted.
The impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol was decided by the court on April 4 in a unanimous 8-0 decision. The Korean Constitution explicitly grants the president the right to declare emergency martial law. However, it also stipulates strict requirements for declaring martial law, which shall be declared “in time of war, incident, or other similar national emergency.” Mr. Yoon’s declaration did not meet such requirements. Within just three hours, the National Assembly passed a motion to lift martial law in accordance with the constitution.
The law also stipulates that martial law be lifted upon the National Assembly’s request. As a result of such proceedings, the 2024 martial law declaration ended in a failure. As the declaration was in violation of the constitution and the Martial Law Act, the National Assembly began impeachment proceedings against Mr. Yoon. These were carried out in compliance with the constitution and the relevant laws, which show that the democratic rule of law is functioning properly and strongly in Korea.
Furthermore, the Korean people managed to demonstrate democratic civic awareness during this political whirlwind, evidence that Korea’s democracy has now entered a mature stage.
Had the declaration of martial law suspended Korea’s constitutional government, it would have led to a successful self-coup in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. A small number of people in Korea and the U.S. fuel theories about election fraud in the June presidential election, claiming the Chinese Communist Party seized Korea. These false claims directly contradict the achievements of Korea’s liberal democracy and obstruct economic, diplomatic and security cooperation between ROK and the U.S.
After the inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung, some also argued that the ruling party is too one-sided. On social media just hours before his meeting with Mr. Lee in Washington, President Trump raised doubts about a “purge” or “revolution” in Korea. After the bilateral meeting, such doubts were resolved.
The ROK-U.S. alliance will open a new chapter with Korea’s MASGA proposal: Make American Shipbuilding Great Again. At the bilateral meeting on Aug. 25, Mr. Trump and Mr. Lee confirmed mutual trust by emphasizing alliance modernization and cooperation in shipbuilding and nuclear energy. The ROK-U.S. cooperation will be strong and unwavering, based on the mutual trust shown at the ROK-U.S. summit.
I expect it to be consolidated in all areas of cooperation, including but not limited to North Korean nuclear issues, security in Northeast Asia, the economy, and science and technology. As the saying goes, “Blood is thicker than water.” This alliance, originally forged in blood, will last an eternity. The Korean people have not forgotten the aid and support provided by the U.S. during and after the Korean War. We are a peace-loving nation. In our 5,000 years of history, we have not once initiated an invasion of another country.
The Korean Peninsula is the only country that has remained divided from World War II to this day. For peace and stability in Northeast Asia, trilateral cooperation among Korea, the U.S. and Japan is critical. I hope the U.S. will also value our two countries’ friendship and remain Korea’s partner and ally.
As Mr. Lee proclaimed, once Mr. Trump embraces the role of a “peacemaker,” Mr. Lee will embrace the same. I sincerely hope Mr. Trump joins us in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of Korea, in October for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.
• Nak-in Sung is a former president of Seoul National University and professor emeritus of constitutional law.
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