Darcie Draudt-Véjares

Thanks for including my @cfr.org analysis on the South Korean election in your list!

What’s behind South Korea’s progressive foreign policy’s shift toward pragmatism? @darciedraudt.bsky.social broke down a key example in her latest paper:

Learn more from Darcie – just in time for South Korea’s historic election – here: carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

YouTube video by Carnegie Explains South Korea Has a New Leader—Now What?

Lee Jae-myung emerged as the winner of this week’s election in South Korea. But questions also emerge from the country’s turbulent past few months and polarized present – and a chaotic global foreign policy landscape.

@darciedraudt.bsky.social breaks it down: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlCE...

The Transformation of South Korean Progressive Foreign Policy The foreign policy orientation of the Democratic Party of Korea (DP)—South Korea’s progressive party—is undergoing a recalibration to a more pragmatic, security-conscious orientation.

As frontrunner Lee Jae-myung gears up for South Korea's June 3 special election, his party's foreign policy has undergone a transformation from progressivism to pragmatism.

@darciedraudt.bsky.social explains: carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

YouTube video by Carnegie Explains Who Will Lead South Korea After Impeachment?

South Korea’s former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was formally impeached two months ago. Now, as South Koreans head to a historic special election what’s next?

@darciedraudt.bsky.social breaks it down: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA6o...

Duty Calls: Trump’s Tariffs and the Stakes of Korea’s Snap Election On June 3, Korean voters will head to the polls for a snap presidential election. The outcome will reverberate far beyond Korean domestic politics.

In the latest installment of my analysis of the upcoming South Korean election, I discuss how the Trump-tariff effect has influenced security and economic debates int the upcoming South Korean election for @cfr.org on.cfr.org/3HtzNbm

Thanks, Ankit!

South Korea’s Presidential Frontrunner Calls Himself a Pragmatist. Skeptics Aren’t Convinced. Whether Lee Jae-myung’s posture is a simple campaign tactic or a precursor to strategic renewal will be consequential for both Korean voters and Washington policymakers.

Is presidential frontrunner Lee Jae-myung's swing to the center just a campaign tactic, or does it indicate a new direction for South Korea’s foreign policy?

@darciedraudt.bsky.social unpacks the present – and future – implications in her latest for Emissary: carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

South Korea’s Presidential Frontrunner Calls Himself a Pragmatist. Skeptics Aren’t Convinced. Whether Lee Jae-myung’s posture is a simple campaign tactic or a precursor to strategic renewal will be consequential for both Korean voters and Washington policymakers.

Been doing a lot of thinking about what Lee Jae-myung means for Korean politics. I'll be sharing a longer report next week, but my analysis of Lee's "right-clicking" is up @carnegieendowment.org now:
carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

Beyond the Demographic Cliff: Economic Adaptation in Hyper-Aged Korea - Korea Economic Institute of America

On Monday 5/19 at KEI in Washington, I'll be sharing some of the findings of my paper "Beyond the Demographic Cliff: Economic Adaptation in Hyper-Aged Korea"--come in person at 11 am EST or stream online!
keia.org/event/beyond...

Trump Isn’t Helping Korea’s Alliance Anxieties The country’s polarized political landscape and absence of a president only sharpen its economic and security concerns.

Today marks 100 days of Trump’s second term—and South Korea’s alliance anxieties may be deepening. Without a president in Seoul and facing a transactional US, economic and security pressures mount. My take for
@carnegieendowment.org's 'Trump 2.0' series: carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

YouTube video by Center for Strategic & International Studies The Constitutional Court Decides Yoon's Fate | The Impossible State

Had a blast getting super wonky with @korea.csis.org @victordcha.bsky.social Andrew Yeo and Yoojin Kim on how to unpack the Korean impeachment process and what it means for the country going forward! www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vuw...

Moving forward, South Korea must bridge its ideological divides and rebuild trust in its institutions. The coming election will test whether the nation can forge a unified path toward democratic resilience at the societal level.

Although progressive support stayed strong (unsurprising, since both presidents were conservatives), conservative backing fell from 50% in 2017 to 22% in 2025, and centrist approval dropped from 86% to 67%.

Korea is no stranger to presidential abuse of power, having ousted Park Geun-hye in 2017. But now, support for President Yoon's impeachment is significantly lower than for Park's in 2017, when 77% of Koreans backed her removal.

The country remains deeply divided, with a narrow majority 57% of Koreans supporting the impeachment as a necessary stand against creeping authoritarianism. But pro-Yoon factions view the process as a partisan power grab that undermines their ideological values.

After the Verdict: South Korea’s Democracy Endures, but Its Partisan Divides Widen Yoon is out—and the coming election will be deeply contentious.

After a historic ruling, Korea’s Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Pres Yoon Suk-yeol—a bold rebuke against authoritarian overreach. Yet the victory for democracy comes with a caveat: deep partisan divides have only widened @carnegieendowment.org carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

YouTube video by Center for Strategic & International Studies The Constitutional Court Decides Yoon's Fate | The Impossible State

🔴 LIVE NOW

The Constitutional Court unanimously upheld President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. Join @csis.org @geopolitics.csis.org
Impossible State Live Podcast with:

◾ @victordcha.bsky.social
◾ Yoojin Kim
◾ Andrew Yeo
◾ @darciedraudt.bsky.social

🔗: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vuw...

After the Verdict: South Korea’s Democracy Endures, but Its Partisan Divides Widen Yoon is out—and the coming election will be deeply contentious.

Today, South Korea’s Constitutional Court formally removed impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol. But stark divisions among South Koreans will mean an uncertain future, writes @darciedraudt.bsky.social.

Read Darcie’s assessment of the situation here: carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

YouTube video by #DogShirtTV 10,000 North Koreans in Ukraine

On today’s #DogShirtTV, @benjaminwittes.bsky.social & Alicia Wanless @lageneralista.ca welcome @darciedraudt.bsky.social to discuss what 10,000 #NorthKorean soldiers are doing in #Ukraine & the broader implications for North Korea’s future.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=97G7...

ICYMI

We hosted another great discussion on South Korea's political crisis, President Yoon's martial law, his impeachment & what's next this morning with the great @darciedraudt.bsky.social, Bruce Klingner, moderated by @csis.org @victordcha.bsky.social.

Watch here
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVpa...

Really good point by @joelatkinson.bsky.social. PPP and many conservative citizens fear not just losing control of the executive, but also have a near-existential fear losing the ideological underpinnings of the nation. What does party loyalty mean in this case? What political game are we playing?

Article says that Han Dong-hoon will announce a road map to shortening Yoon’s term as an alternative to impeachment.

Maybe spoke too soon. According to this about 20 of the 108 PPP lawmakers remain, incl. Ahn Cheol-soo, who has expressed support for the impeachment motion, pro-Han Dong-hoon lawmakers such as Han Ji-ah, Kwak Kyu-taek, Park Jung-ha, Seo Beon-soo, Ko Dong-jin, Bae Hyun-jin, Kim Seong-won, and...

The plot twist is that, during a post-vote presser, Kim reveals that, and I am summarizing, "I am a conservative and will vote the party line", which is to oppose impeachment. He added that he doesn't support boycotting the vote.

Yoon's Failed Gambit at Martial Rule implications and questions for foreign policy

Special Blue Blaze post on the political earthquake in South Korea—by guest contributor Dr Eun A Jo

open.substack.com/pub/blueblaz...

Varieties of State-Building: Ecology, Clientelism, and Bureaucratic Rule in Chile | Perspectives on Politics | www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

YouTube video by Carnegie Explains What Just Happened in South Korea? President Yoon’s Martial Law Declaration Explained

A martial law declaration, a swift reversal, & now, possible impeachment & treason investigations—President Yoon Suk-yeol has sent shock waves throughout South Korea.

In this #CarnegieExplains, @darciedraudt.bsky.social explores what's next & what it means for Korean democracy⬇️
youtu.be/sVsaYXHCSvE

YouTube video by Carnegie Explains What Just Happened in South Korea? President Yoon’s Martial Law Declaration Explained

What just happened in South Korea? My short explainer video for what happened with Yoon's martial law and what to look for in coming days now up @carnegieendow.bsky.social youtu.be/sVsaYXHCSvE?...