On 29 August, South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled that the country’s planned measures for fighting climate change are unconstitutional because they violate the rights of future generations. The climate ruling is the first of its kind in Asia and follows a four-year legal battle, during which around 250 plaintiffs, including young climate activists and even some infants, challenged the 40 per cent emissions reduction goal set for 2030 as inadequate. The Court instructed the National Assembly to amend the Carbon Neutral Act by February 2026 and expand its carbon-reduction targets for 2031 and beyond, recognizing that current emission targets are insufficient. The government responded favourably to the ruling and pledged to take follow-up measures. Climate activists celebrated the decision as a landmark victory that has the potential to trigger a domino effect across the region.  

Sources: The New York Times, Reuters, The Korea Times, International IDEA 

South Korea’s parliamentary election on 10 April delivered a landslide victory to the opposition Democratic Party and its satellite party [political entities aligned with major political parties], securing 175 of the 300 National Assembly (NA) seats but falling just short of a supermajority. The ruling conservative People Power Party and its satellite party won 108 seats. Voter turnout was estimated at 67 per cent (0.8 percentage increase from the last 2020 election), the highest on record for a parliamentary election according to the National Election Commission. According to media reports, a record 36 female lawmakers were elected to the NA seats, up from 29 in 2020. 

Sources: The Korea Times, National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea, CSIS, BBC News

On 4 March, the South Korean government announced it would move to suspend the licenses of thousands of doctors who had engaged in walkouts and protests over plans to reform the healthcare system. The government had issued warnings previously. The doctors have been on strike since 20 February and are protesting plans to increase medical school admissions by 2000 starting next year, which they say will compromise the quality of education and income and fail to address the root cause of underinvestment in essential health services. The government maintains that the plan will address a shortage of doctors, while critics note that authorities should instead focus on improving working conditions. According to media reports, the walkouts have caused disruptions to scheduled surgeries and medical procedures, with the government deploying military physicians to affected hospitals.

On 8 July, the government announced it would abandon its plan to suspend the licenses of striking junior doctors. Only a few doctors have returned to work since the protests began in March.

Note: This report was updated on 28 August to take note of the announcement made in July. 

Sources: Reuters, The Korea Herald (1),  The Korea Herald (2), The New York Times, The Korea Times, Associated Press

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was stabbed in the neck at a political event on 2 January in Busan. Lee sustained serious injuries, with the assailant quickly apprehended at the scene. The motive behind the attack was reportedly to prevent Lee from becoming president, amid a grudge that Lee was “not properly punished” in relation to delayed corruption charges. The incident occurs mere months before South Korea’s general election set for 10 April in which the DPK’s parliamentary majority is at stake. In subsequent weeks, lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party was struck in the back of the head with a rock in Seoul. President Yoon Suk Yeol denounced the attacks as a threat to democracy and called for increased protection for politicians.

Sources: The Korean Herald (1), The New York Times, The Washington post, Anadolu Agency, The Korea Herald (2)

A high court on 21 February 2023 ordered the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) to provide spousal coverage to same-sex couples, marking the first time a court has legally recognized social benefits for same-sex couples in South Korea. The ruling overturned a lower court ruling in January 2022 that declined to recognize the same-sex couples as common law spouses. While hailed as a leap forward in expanding LGBTQIA+ rights, significant barriers remain, with one of the petitioning partners noting that "The right we've obtained is 1 out of 1,000 that a [heterosexual] married couple has had." Despite its narrow reach, rights activists remain hopeful that the verdict will establish a precedent for enabling future rulings based on the same principles of equality and non-discrimination. NHIS plans to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court.

South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled on 18 July that same-sex couples are eligible to receive the same health insurance benefits as heterosexual couples. The ruling cannot be appealed and has been welcomed by rights experts.

Note: This report was updated on 27 July to take note of the ruling of the Supreme Court. 

Sources: The Korea Herald, Reuters, Human Rights Watch, NPR

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Seoul on 3 December to denounce the government's attempts to force thousands of striking truckers back to work following a 16-day strike over minimum wage protections. The Yoon government invoked a never-used 2004 law on 29 November to force the striking truckers back to work or face up to three years of imprisonment or hefty fines. Critics allege that the Yoon administration's work order suppresses protesters' labour rights. The strikes are a continuation of protests held earlier this year in April.

Sources: The Diplomat, NPR, The Korea Times, Deutsche Welle

Media, experts, and opposition parties have raised concerns over growing press freedom violations by the Yoon Suk-Yeol government over the past month. Some of these moves include barring a major media outlet - Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) - from joining a travelling press pool, as well as the government’s announced funding cuts for 2024 to a popular radio broadcaster - Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) – amid claims of political bias in its programmes seen as having an unfavourable disposition toward the Yoon-Suk-Yeol administration.  

Sources: Korea Herald (1), Korea Herald (2), The Guardian, CIVICUS, The Diplomat 

President Yoon Suk-yeoul announced on 6 October that following his campaign pledge, the government will move ahead with abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. While the plan is still subject to approval by the National Assembly, the move threatens to be a major setback for women's rights as they continue to face systematic discrimination. Activists and politicians have furthermore criticized the president for capitalizing on the country's "anti-feminism" movement in mobilizing young men during the 2022 election to fulfil his promise. 

Sources: The Korea Herald, The Diplomat 

Clemency has been granted to Samsung executive Lee Jae-yong. Previously convicted of bribery and embezzlement, Lee had been directly tied to the corruption scandal that led to the mass protests of 2016 and 2017 and the imprisonment of former President Park Geun-Hye, and still faced further criminal allegations. While justified by the government as necessary to stimulate the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery, the pardon continues a trend of legal forgiveness for convicted chaebol leaders.

Sources: British Broadcasting Corporation