South Korea’s political institution is in shambles after ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment after declaring martial law in December 2024. Over the past six months, the country has been run by four presidents, turning political authority into a game of musical chairs. 

After Yoon’s impeachment, Han Duck-soo, the prime minister of the former government, took control as the acting president. The Democratic Party later impeached Han after vetoing bills pushed by the Democratic Party, with the Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok being placed as acting president. Once the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment, Han returned as acting president. 

The chaos did not end there, with Han resigning as acting president on May 1 to run as a presidential candidate. Choi was set to step back in, but once learning that the Democratic Party was planning to impeach him, he resigned, passing the position to the Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho, who lacks experience in diplomatic issues. 

With Lee Jae-myung, a presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, facing a retrial for election fraud, the certainty of South Korea’s future is still in question. The country can only hope for the best with the election only a month away.

“I think the current political state of Korea is improving, especially with Han Duck-soo and Kim Moon-soo’s possible unification as presidential candidates to fight against the majority party and its candidate Lee Jae-myung,” Joseph Kang (10), politics enthusiast, said. “Although the current political instability does not directly affect me as a student, I stay engaged in Korean politics. As a Korean citizen, I believe I should care about my nation, especially at times of instability.”