Where is South Korea headed?

March 13, 2025

SEOUL – These days, the world is concerned about the dubious future of South Korea. People anxiously look on at the unprecedented sociopolitical upheaval since the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Depending on the decision of the Constitutional Court, Yoon may return to office or fade away. Either way, conflict seems inevitable in Korea because the country is sharply divided by two mutually antagonizing groups that either support or denounce Yoon, or subscribe to the right-wing doctrine or the left-wing ideology.

South Korea is also facing the upcoming tsunami of the Donald Trump administration’s heavy tariff policy, which will deal a hard blow to the South Korean economy that largely depends upon international trade. In addition, the current US government is also likely to demand South Korea take on more of the costs of stationing US troops in the country.

In his recent speech, US President Trump stated that other countries charge America much higher tariffs than America charges them. He brought up South Korea as an example, saying, “Korea’s average tariff is four times higher … and we give them so much military support and other assistance.” From Trump’s remarks, we can anticipate an unmatched crisis in our economy that has so far been prosperous.

Instead of preparing for the imminent perfect storm, our sailors of the ship South Korea are indulging in domestic power struggles after they locked up their captain for impeachment. Naturally, experts wonder if South Korea can deal with the upcoming strong winds and surging waves, not to mention numerous hidden reefs.

Nowadays, people say that the America we used to know no longer exists and thus we must deal with an entirely new America. We also should know