Even before the crisis triggered by the brief application of martial law in December following which former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached, residents of the country had lost trust in their central government. Between fall of 2023 and 2024, this trust sunk by almost 10 percentage points.
A survey by the Korea Institute of Public Administration shows that Koreans' trust in the central government last year stayed behind trust in local governments, the army, the police and the judiciary. Only criminal prosecution and the National Assembly enjoyed less trust, while the nation's legislature even gained some points over the stated time period, if on a low level.
Observers say that even before the latest crisis, democratic norms had been deteriorating in South Korea. This was intensified due to politically motivated investigations, supression of civil rights and attacks on the press under former president Moon Jae-in and continued under Yoon, who was also known for friendly appointments, raids of the media and attempts to stifle any criticims.
