The Fall of Yoon: Martial Law, the Far Right, and the Power of Minsim | Dr. Benjamin A Engel

What happens when a democracy is pushed to the brink? In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Ben Engel to explore the outrageous martial law declaration, the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, the life sentence, and the rise of the far-right in South Korea. We also explore the powerful concept of Min-sim (민심) and how ethno-nationalism is reshaping the country's democratic future.

About the Guest: Benjamin Engel is an assistant professor of Korean Studies at Dankook University. He received his Ph.D. and Master's in International Studies from the Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University. He previously worked as a research professor at the Institute of International Affairs at Seoul National University and as a researcher at the Institute of Peace and Unification Studies and at the East Asia Institute. His recent academic publications include "Koreagate Revisited: ROK Government Lobbying on the Human Rights Issue" in Cold War History (2024) and "Making Amends: U.S. Public Diplomacy Efforts in the late 1980s to Address the Gwangju Democracy Movement" in Korea Journal (2024). Additionally, he has written several articles linking history to current affairs and analyses of US-ROK relations in various publications including East Asia Forum, The Diplomat, and Korea Pro and has been quoted in various media outlets including the Washington Post, Financial Times, and Korean Herald. Originally from United States and a graduate of the University of Missouri, he has been living and researching in South Korea since 2010.

Public Profiles

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-engel-73178443/

https://bsky.app/profile/benjaminaengel.bsky.social

Discussion Outline

0:00 Explaining What Happened

5:00 How Dangerous Was It?

7:10 Why Did Yoon Do It?

11:40 Sentencing the President

16:40 Explaining Minsim

23:10 Ideology in Korea

27:25 Ethnonationalism in Korea

33:00 Gender and Demographics

37:00 Assessing Lee Jae Myung

43:00 Democratic Lessons for the US

47:15 Korean Culture

51:40 How Did Korea Become Democratic?

58:15 Recommendations

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David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at datizzard@swu.ac.kr.

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