Support for South Korea's Martial Law Backfires: Does the DPP Have Yoon in Its Heart？
United Daily News Editorial, December 4, 2024
South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl's sudden announcement of martial law last night shocked the world. Although the Korean parliament overturned it within six hours, a post by Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on the social platform Threads, expressing support for the martial law, was deleted but sparked heated domestic debate. While it's common for individual social media managers to make unauthorized blunders, what’s more surprising is the unexpected support the post received from DPP supporters. The so-called "backlash" might only reflect what many DPP members and supporters truly wish to do—revealing a far more unsettling reality.
President Yoon’s decision to declare martial law seemed less like a misjudgment and more like a desperate last resort. With a divided parliament, investigations into corruption involving his wife and cabinet members, and his approval rating dropping below 20 percent, President Yoon's political future appeared to be at its breaking point. Meanwhile, the opposition-controlled parliament continued to pass laws limiting government powers.
The situation in South Korea is strikingly similar to Taiwan's current political landscape. Yoon justified the martial law as necessary to "protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces and immediately eliminate illegal elements," essentially branding the opposition as "North Korean sympathizers." This approach mirrors how Taiwan's DPP handles its political opposition.
Of course, there are differences between the two situations. Essentially, President Lai Ching-te and the DPP still enjoy strong unity and support, unlike Yoon’s political collapse. The DPP also holds a stronger majority in Taiwan’s legislature than Yoon’s ruling party in South Korea. Most importantly, the DPP’s control over the judiciary is far greater than Yoon’s party’s control in South Korea. Compared to South Korea’s situation, while the DPP faces crises, it is far from being in a "dead end."
There are both similarities and differences with South Korea’s situation, and martial law is a significant event that directly contradicts the core values the DPP has long upheld. So why did a DPP social media manager post support for martial law at the first opportunity? Why did supporters comment urging the DPP to "be tough" and "learn from Yoon "? This reflects the DPP's "successful education."
Despite Taiwan’s democratization, the DPP has won five out of the eight presidential elections, decisively defeating the Kuomintang (KMT). However, during three of those terms, the DPP was a "minority government" without a parliamentary majority. In their reluctance to give up power, from the Chen administration to Lai’s, the DPP’s strategy has been singular: positioning itself as the "defender of democracy," not the "practitioner of democracy." Their approach to defending democracy has been to label opponents as "undemocratic" or "aligned with the Chinese Communist Party."
This has led to a paradox: in the eyes of DPP supporters, the DPP is seen as the "defender of democracy," while the opposition is viewed as "anti-democratic." In the name of "defending democracy," the DPP feels justified in acting without limits, even employing "anti-democratic" methods. Of course, defending democracy through anti-democratic means is contradictory, but it is evident that DPP supporters accept this narrative, and the party’s elites have internalized it as well.
Thus, it is not surprising that the DPP has repeatedly governed as a minority, yet still smeared the opposition as "opposing for the sake of opposition." Scandals involving corruption are dismissed as "isolated cases," legislative majority-driven reforms are seen as "anti-democratic," and judicial manipulation is justified as "preserving constitutional order." Given this, the social media manager’s post supporting martial law and urging Lai to learn from Yoon is entirely unsurprising.
From a political party’s perspective, any party aiming to govern must position its policies and stances toward the center as the ideal strategy, and a necessary choice to gain broad public support. However, in the current global Cold War climate, the growing influence of social media platforms, and the DPP's actions, there has been a noticeable increase in public sentiment's dumbing down and populism. This "support for martial law" incident serves as a prime example of this trend.
President Yoon’s declaration of martial law stemmed from an irrational political judgment. Under normal circumstances, "a few" people might support it, but the majority would likely oppose it. However, DPP supporters, having long been indoctrinated with hatred, also believe that "using anti-democratic measures to defend democracy" is correct. This dumbing down and populism is clearly connected to the DPP’s habit of labeling their opponents as “red,” accusing them of engaging in "cognitive warfare." Even more prominently, radical, clown-like political figures, such as former Taoyuan City Councilor Wang Hao-yu, political commentator Lee Cheng-hao, and DPP Legislator Wang Yi-chuan, have amplified DPP voices, distorting mainstream political views. How could their positions be normal when they’ve been "hijacked by the extreme?"
The DPP’s legislative party group’s social media manager most likely posted in this context. They believe that the opposition is too arrogant and can only be handled with extraordinary means, and martial law seemed like a useful tool. For supporters, such as those on the "Green Bird" platform, it was easy to nod in agreement and follow up with similar comments. To be blunt, hasn’t the DPP always labeled the KMT as the "local collaborators" of the Chinese Communist Party? Their "support for martial law" is merely an extension of the DPP’s own rhetoric.
This incident has caused many netizens to exclaim, "We've exposed many martial law supporters," and "It turns out the DPP supports Chiang Kai-shek the most." Some even claim the DPP follows a three-step process: "resisting authoritarianism, understanding authoritarianism, becoming authoritarian." Honestly, these statements are only half-right.
From the beginning, the DPP’s declaration of martial law was a false issue—not because they didn’t want or dare to declare it, but because they couldn’t. Martial law would need parliamentary approval, which they didn’t have. Moreover, there was no need for it. Since the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, the DPP has already achieved what even an authoritarian government couldn’t: absolute control. The most obvious example is the DPP’s dominance over the judiciary. Even when the legislature passes laws, the Constitutional Court judges their constitutionality based on political alignment. The DPP has no fear of losing power.
In the past, people said, "The DPP has a little police state in its heart." After this event, it's clear that the DPP and many of its supporters, indeed, have a little Yoon in their hearts.