South Korea no longer 'full democracy': Economist

Pedestrians are seen at the Gwanghwamun Square in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)

South Korea has dropped out of the full democracy category after President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law in Asia's fourth-largest economy, a democracy index suggested Friday.

According to the 2024 Democracy Index by Economist Intelligence Unit, South Korea ranked 32nd in terms of the level of democracy achieved, down 10 places from the previous year.

South Korea was among 46 countries classified as "flawed democracies," with only 25 countries categorized as "full democracies" in 2024. This came as South Korea's Democracy Index score fell below the 8.00 needed to be classified as a “full democracy,” to 7.75 as of 2024.

In 2023, South Korea was among countries classified as "full democracies," with a score of 8.09.

The drop in score was attributed to President Yoon's declaration of martial law and the following tumultuous political events at the end of 2024, which together "(plunged) the country into crisis," according to EIU.

President Yoon is now accused of inciting insurrection by abruptly declaring martial law in early December last year. The National Assembly impeached Yoon later that month. His fate will be determined by the Constitutional Court, which will soon deliver its verdict over whether to uphold the impeachment or not.