Unlock Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, editor of the FT, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Yoon Suk Yeol promised that as South Korea’s president, he would “rebuild this great nation” into one “that truly belongs to the people” when he delivered his inaugural speech in May 2022.
Instead, his presidency has been marked by increasing unpopularity and political dysfunction, culminating Tuesday in his declaration of state of war in the country for the first time in more than four decades.
Yoon he has faced serious challenges since the beginning of his term, coming to power with a low approval rating and a parliament dominated by the opposition.
The 63-year-old former prosecutor, who played leading roles in the successful prosecutions of former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, had never held a political role before announcing his 2021 presidential bid.
In 2019, his predecessor as president, the liberal Moon Jae-in, appointed him as chief prosecutor — but their relationship soured after Yoon launched an investigation into Moon’s justice minister, significantly raising Yoon’s public profile. After resigning in March 2021, Yoon secured the presidential nomination of the conservative People’s Power party.
In the following year’s election, he edged out his Liberal rival by just 0.73 percent — the smallest margin of any South Korean presidential contest.
Yoon got an early taste of the challenge he would face in the opposition-controlled parliament when he struggled to win approval for his favorite cabinet nominees, four of whom were forced to withdraw amid accusations of impropriety.
Difficulties continued as Yoon tried to pass the bill. As of January 2024, only 29 percent of the laws his government has submitted to parliament had passed.
Yoon responded by using the president’s veto power to defeat opposition-sponsored legislation, vetoing more bills than any of his predecessors since the end of military rule in 1987.
At the beginning of his mandate, he tried to answer journalists’ questions informally while coming to work. But his relationship with the media has soured as he has targeted critical reporting, with police and prosecutors repeatedly deployed against purported purveyors of “fake news”.
Another public relations problem occurred when Yoon announced plans to move his office from the historic “Blue House” palace in central Seoul to the defense ministry complex. Yoon hoped that his more down-to-earth work environment would allow him to operate more in touch with the public, but he faced backlash over the cost of implementing the plan.
Other battles were fought over critical policy areas, including education – Yoon was forced to abandon a plan for children to start school a year early – and health, with doctors taking long strike over salary and conditions.
His unpopularity was emphasized by the parliamentary elections in April this year, which brought another large majority to the opposition Democratic Party.
Opposition lawmakers have since called for an investigation into Yoon and his wife over allegations, which Yoon has vehemently denied, of improper dealings with the owner of a polling agency.
Yoon has sometimes received a warmer reception abroad — notably during a state visit to Washington last April, when he wowed President Joe Biden with a rendition of a 1970s song American Pie. Yoon also became the first South Korean president to attend a NATO meeting and provided significant aid to Ukraine, while deepening military and security cooperation with the US and Japan.
This drew criticism from the opposition, which accused him of antagonizing China, the country’s most important trading partner.
Unlike his predecessor Moon, who favored dialogue with North Korea, Yoon has taken a tougher stance toward Pyongyang, which has responded with more missile tests during his rule.
As the parliamentary resistance continues, Yoon has grown increasingly frustrated – particularly with the opposition’s refusal to adopt his proposed annual budget. The opposition countered with a smaller package, which Yoon said would mean unacceptable cuts in areas including disaster preparedness and childcare support.
“Legislative dictatorship of the Democratic Party . . . it uses even the budget as a means of political struggle,” Yoon said in his speech announcing the state of emergency on Tuesday.
Hours later, he said he intended to lift the “emergency” measure after lawmakers voted it down in parliament – leaving his own position more uncertain amid one of the most serious constitutional crises in South Korea’s modern history.
