President Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law declaration has exposed systemic flaws in the country’s military, including factionalism, politicization and ineffective leadership, sparking calls for sweeping reforms to restore its neutrality and professionalism.

Yoon’s unprecedented decision to deploy armed troops to the National Assembly, which drew parallels to past military crackdowns, led to widespread public outrage and experts warn that without addressing these structural vulnerabilities, South Korea risks further erosion of public trust in its democratic institutions.