Rival demonstrations took place in Seoul on Wednesday. Both supporters of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and those who back his successor, Lee Jae-myung, took to the streets as South Korea marks one year since Yoon sparked a political crisis with a short-lived declaration of martial law.

The last 12 months have been a torrid time for South Korean politics, with Yoon arrested and presently on trial on a series of charges, including abuse of power.

His wife Kim Keon Hee is also being investigated on corruption charges. Many others in Yoon's inner political circle have also been either charged, dismissed or are facing investigation, and the same applies to senior military leaders who went along with Yoon's decision to declare martial law.

President Lee, on the other hand, won a large majority in the June general election, a result that has allowed him to shut down corruption investigations that he himself was facing. He has also been busy reshaping government agencies in ways that critics argue benefit his administration.

The conservative People Power Party (PPP) is now headed by Jang Dong-hyeok, and appears unable to challenge Lee's Democratic Party (DP). The pendulum of political power has swung decisively towards Lee and his ruling party, but some in South Korea fear it has swung too far, too fast.

South Korea's conservatives at a crossroads

"The PPP has never really broken with Yoon and, in that sense, has lost much of its stature as the main opposition party," said Hyobin Lee, a professor at Sogang University in Seoul.

"Even so, its support stood at 37.5% on December 1, and that tells us two things: First that there is still a sizeable group who do not think Yoon's martial law move was wrong; and second, even among those who do think it was wrong, many conservatives feel they have nowhere else to go if they do not support the current [PPP]," she told DW.

The PPP is unlikely to "implode," despite Yoon's downfall, she told DW, as it is the only viable conservative party. Professor Lee believes that "people will gradually forget about the martial law crisis."

From his position of power, however, President Lee is working hard to make sure that does not happen.

On Wednesday, the government announced that the coup anniversary will become "People's Sovereignty Day," to commemorate when people "protected the constitutional order" and reaffirmed democracy and constitutional principles.

"The recklessness of those who tried to destroy the constitutional order and even plan a war all for their personal ambition must be brought to justice," Lee said on Wednesday.

In an address marking the anniversary, Lee also said that the bid had threatened to deal "irreparable" damage toSouth Korea's democracy.

The PPP is still looking for a way to deal with the issue. In an exclusive report published on Tuesday, the conservative-leaning newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that the party's leaders had decided to release a statement of apology on Wednesday.

"We deeply regret our failure to prevent the Emergency Martial Law in advance and sincerely apologize to the public," the editorial read.

The party will also pledge to "sever ties with former President Yoon Suk Yeol."

Lee riding high in the polls

Despite the PPP denouncing Lee's current administration as "tyrannical," the new president is riding high in the opinion polls, with an approval rating hovering around 54%.

"He is popular partly because he works hard, but, more importantly, because he is perceived as competent," said Professor Lee. "His way of pushing ahead with policy in a charismatic manner appeals to many voters. Even among conservatives, his ability to secure a nuclear-powered submarine deal from [US President Donald] Trump makes it difficult to dismiss him outright."

Even so, South Korea remains a deeply divided society along the lines of gender, age and political ideology. A poll in the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper on December 1 showed that 77% of people feel that polarization has worsened in the last 12 months.

Democrats consolidating power?

Kim Sang-woo, a former politician with the left-leaning South Korean Congress for New Politics, and now a member of the board of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation, said to DW the PPP needs to overcome its recent "incompetence."

He added the PPP should act as a check and balance on a Democratic Party, which he fears is consolidating power over the three branches of government. DP's parliamentary dominance and reforms  they imposed on state bureaucracy have helped solidify the DP's control, Kim said.

"The only thing left that is resisting the Democratic Party is the judiciary, and I am not sure how long that will be able to resist the pressure," he said. "Personally, I feel that South Korean democracy is in serious danger."

"Our society is deeply divided, with around 20% of the electorate on the extreme right, about 30% on the extreme left and the rest in the middle," Kim said. "A lot of those in the middle are turning their back on politics because they are fed up with all the parties, but that is a very dangerous attitude."

Edited by: Wesley Rahn