Dr. Lami Kim has a new article in Foreign Policy on the recent self-coup and martial law attempt by President Yoon in South Korea.  The article, “Yoon’s Coup Attempt Shows Sad State of Civil-Military Relations,” provides an in-depth look the Republic of Korea’s history of past military dictatorship.

According to Kim, “As South Koreans and supporters of democracy around the world anxiously watch how this situation unfolds, it is crucial to learn from what happened. This incident serves as a stark reminder that civil-military relations are never static and can regress without vigilant management. If there is a silver lining to this situation, it is that South Koreans now have an opportunity to confront the lingering legacies of military dictatorship and take definitive steps toward establishing healthy, sustainable civil-military relations.”

Read the full article online at: https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/06/south-korea-yoon-coup-civil-military-history-army/

Lami Kim is a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, a U.S. Defense Department institute based in Hawaii. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of DKI APCSS, the U.S. Defense Department or the U.S. government.