Global News

South Korea is currently embroiled in a political crisis, with mounting protests, widespread public discontent, and calls for leadership changes as the government grapples with multiple high-profile scandals. The crisis has sparked a nationwide debate about the state of democracy, governance, and political integrity in one of Asia’s most advanced democracies.

At the center of the crisis is the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has faced increasing scrutiny after allegations of corruption, misuse of power, and controversial policies. Several of President Yoon's senior officials have been implicated in a series of scandals involving bribery, illegal lobbying, and connections to powerful business conglomerates. The government’s response to these accusations has been perceived by many as inadequate, leading to growing distrust among the public.

Political Scandals and Allegations

The first crisis came when the President of South Korea declared martial during an unannounced televised address. He accused the DPK (Democratic Party)—the people who made up most of the National Assembly—of managing "anti-state activities" and collaborating with North Korean communists, which undermined the government. Although this happened in 2023, it was the justification for declaring martial law. Following this, he arrested several political threats, such as several high-ranking DPK members and some of his own party, the PPP (People Power Party). This was likely to stop people from becoming president, which would let him stay president for longer. Many ruled The event unconstitutional, and they suspected it to be a self-coup. 

Widespread Protests

Amidst growing frustration over the president, large-scale protests have erupted across the country. Thousands of South Koreans have taken to the streets, calling for the resignation of President Yoon and the removal of corrupt officials. Protests, initially concentrated in Seoul, have spread to other major cities, with demonstrators demanding greater political transparency and reform.

Many South Koreans feel that their democracy is being undermined by systemic corruption and that the government is not taking their concerns seriously. “The people are tired of empty promises,” said one protestor, a student in Seoul. “We need real change and accountability.” Countless seem to agree with him, as they don't see Yoon as a fit president due to his corruption.

Opposition Calls for New Elections

Opposition leaders have seized on the growing unrest, with key figures calling for early and new presidential elections. Quite a few opposition parties have accused the ruling administration of failing to uphold democratic principles and have vowed to dismantle what they describe as an entrenched system of corruption if given the chance to govern.

International Concerns and Diplomatic Implications

The political turmoil in South Korea is also raising concerns internationally. South Korea is a key player in regional security, particularly with its close alliance with the United States and its strategic positioning in East Asia. The political instability threatens to destabilize not only the domestic landscape but also South Korea’s standing on the global stage.

Diplomats from both the U.S. and neighboring countries have urged calm and called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis while emphasizing the importance of upholding democratic norms and processes.

Results

The result of this crisis has been what was expected by political analysts—President Yoon got impeached. The event happened on December 14th, 2024. Later, on the 31 of December, an arrest warrant for the president of South Korea was granted by the Seoul Western District Court, which stemmed from investigations into Yoon's martial law from December 3rd and his refusal to attend the three summons required by the CIO (Corruption Investigation Office). However, he confined himself at his official presidential residence and declined to come out. The initial attempt to arrest him was held on January 3rd, which failed. This lasted for about six hours and involved multiple security forces. Finally, on January 15th, 2025, President Yoon gave himself up to the CIO and was ultimately arrested.

For now, the protests continue, with no signs of abating, as citizens demand a new era of political accountability and transparency. South Korea stands at a crossroads, with its political future hanging in the balance as both the government and the opposition prepare for what could be a defining moment in the nation’s history. Everything reflects deep divisions within the nation.

Written by Patrick Huang

In the past two weeks, the Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (more easily said and written as HTS), has gone from holding a small portion of the country in a prolonged stalemate, to overthrowing the dictatorial regime, and sending the Syrian president fleeing to Russia. This is certainly the end of the Assad regime and the Ba'ath parties control over Syria, but it isn't certain whether this is the end of the civil war. This new government will hopefully bring democracy and liberty to the people of Syria, and we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Syrian President from July 17th 2000 to December 8th 2024, Bashar al-Assad, took the reins of the Syrian government after the death of his father Hafez al-Assad, and led the country from a stable dictatorship, to a country in ruin and fractured in war. The first ten years of Assad's rule in Syria were bad enough, with the Damascus Spring occurring soon after Assad took office, and was a resistance to the regime, led by writers, intellectuals, and other anti-Assad activists. This unrest was short-lived, but would lead to the strengthening of Assad's power from the strong response to this crisis. The next test for the Syrian regime, came in 2005 when the Syrian government orchestrated the assassination of the Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri. This assassination would lead to mass protests sweeping across the Syrian occupied regions of Lebanon in what was called the Cedar Revolution. The Cedar Revolution would gain strength, and after immense international pressure, Syrian forces would ultimately withdraw Lebanon after holding the region for nearly 30 years. 

The Syrian civil war that would lead to the collapse of the Assad regime, would sprout from the 2011 Arab Spring protests that broke out across the middle east. Following these protests and the violent response to them, international sanctions would be applied to the regime, and rebel forces would gain a great amount of ground from the Assad government. As the Syrian government was on the path to collapse, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered Russian military forces to directly intervene in the conflict on the side of Assad. Russian as well as Iranian support, would allow the Syrian government to gain ground, and push the war into a stalemate that would last from 2019 until November 2024.

The rebel group HTS which is now in control of most of Syria, originally sprouted from Al-Qaeda (the terrorist group who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks and fought American troops for decades) as well as ISIS (a radical Islamist terrorist group who fought American, Syrian, and Iraqi troops after the 2003 Invasion of Iraq). These beginnings entail incredibly important concerns about this group, and is a large reason why HTS is designated as a terrorist organisation itself by both the United States and the United Nations. Despite these obvious worries about the group's intentions, the leader of the group has repeatedly stated that he plans to moderate these views, and protect Syrian minorities. 

While we don't know how the new Syrian leadership will form, we do know that a dictator the likes of Saddam Hussein has been removed, and that a new regime will dawn over Syria, regardless of what the regime will be. This event is just one of many currently playing out throughout the world, unrest in South Korea and political chaos in France, demonstrate the need for an effective foreign policy in America. A better review of foreign policy will be needed and you can count on us to give you a better look at the future of American foreign policy under this new Trump administration.

Written and Edited by Fritz Smith

As you may or may not know, the Russian Federation is currently engaged in armed conflict with the Ukrainian military. This comes after Russian Dictator President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian armed forces into the border regions of Ukraine in a "special military operation," and would lead into the war that has now lasted nearly three years. Ukraine was originally expected to fall under the Russian bear after just a few months, but with the support of the United States and its European allies, it is still going strong.

Earlier this month, North Korean soldiers were deployed along the front to shore the weakening Russian war effort. The deployment of North Korean troops into the Ukraine demonstrates the lengths that Russia is having to go to in order to continue this war. Recently the United States authorized the use of long-range missiles to be fired into Russia proper, in response to this Russia reportedly struck Ukraine using a ballistic missile and has raised concerns of nuclear warfare in the conflict. While it is unlikely that Putin and the Russian military will utilize nuclear weapons, this does show that Russia is getting scared and is resorting to these (mostly baseless) threats. Regardless of whether this conflict starts escalating, the Russian war machine is certainly slowing, and if the U.S. continues to apply pressure it may just fold.

The incoming Trump administration is sure to address this subject and make it a high priority, but we don't know exactly how they'll address it. President-elect Donald Trump has often campaigned on a sort of isolationism for the United States, this foreign policy often allows dictators and authoritarian regimes to get away with anything and would likely mean bad things for Ukraine. America First isolationism is certainly a possibility for U.S. foreign policy in regard to Russia and may lead to major Ukrainian concessions in negotiations that Trump said he would facilitate.

Aside for an isolation and appeasement policy, there are also many in the incoming administration that would like to see a fairer peace negotiation. This policy could be implemented correctly and may end this war before greater escalation takes place, however it could also lead to the emboldening of Russia and it would be incredibly vital that any negotiation is done incredibly carefully. A further wing of the new Trump administration consisting of many war hawks and interventionists agree that we should continue to provide arms shipments to Ukraine so they can continue the fight for freedom.

The most notable individual that may lobby for continuing aid to Ukraine is Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio. Rubio has been a more interventionist politician and wants to impose a hard-line policy on countries like China and Iran, however it isn't entirely clear whether this policy will be applied to Russia as well. If Rubio did approve of the option, it would hold a lot of sway considering that the Secretary of State is largely in charge of Foreign Policy which includes the war in Ukraine.

While it is unknown what policy the next presidency and its administration will bring to this war, the Ukrainians have fought strongly against the Russians these last couple years and will surely continue to do so as long as we don't cave in to dictators. Regardless of the foreign policy that Donald Trump will bring, you can do your part to support freedom all around by engaging in debate and fighting for what you believe whenever the opportunity may arise.

Written and Edited by Fritz Smith