Last year, South Korea’s president tried to pull the oldest authoritarian trick in the book: declare martial law, grab power, and hope nobody stopped him. Spoiler alert, everybody stopped him.
In a display of political competence that must look like science fiction to Americans, lawmakers from both parties united instantly. They impeached him, suspended him, kicked him out of office, and then this year, actually arrested him for leading an insurrection. No filibusters. No two-year-long “investigation” that drags on until voters forget why it started. No media panel debates asking whether coups are really that bad. Just swift, decisive action to defend democracy.
Top Three Takeaways from the Article:
South Korea Acts Decisively – When faced with a coup attempt, South Korea’s leaders united across party lines to impeach, remove, and arrest their president.
U.S. Inaction – In contrast, the U.S. has dragged its feet on holding January 6 instigators accountable, allowing many to remain in power or run for office.
Democracy at Risk – The comparison highlights how partisan loyalty and political paralysis in America are undermining its ability to defend democracy.
Now, let’s compare that to the United States, where our own coup attempt on January 6, 2021, is still being politely debated like it’s an academic theory. The mastermind held rallies, campaigned for president again and won, and is now selling cryptocurrency gold-plated sneakers. Members of Congress who cheered him on are still in office, some even chairing committees. And instead of united outrage, half the political establishment acts like trying to overturn an election is just another item on the partisan menu, right next to tax cuts and deregulation.
In South Korea, political rivals understood that the rule of law matters more than party loyalty. In America, party loyalty is the rule of law, at least if your party controls the gavel.
South Korea’s response was a masterclass in democratic defense: see threat, remove threat, prosecute threat. America’s response has been: see threat, hold hearings about the threat, argue on cable news about the threat, and then ask voters to please do something about the threat in two or four years, assuming the threat doesn’t dismantle the election system first.
The lesson? Other democracies still know how to save themselves. America, meanwhile, is busy proving that if you let cowardice, partisanship, and endless legal wrangling run the show, democracy can die without a single tank in the streets.