Who is Yoon Suk Yeol?

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Yoon Suk Yeol vowed that as president of South Korea, he would “rebuild this great nation” into one that “truly belongs to the people” when delivering his inauguration speech in May 2022 .

Instead, his presidency has been marked by growing unpopularity and political turmoil, culminating in his announcement on Tuesday of martial law in the country for the first time in more than four decades.

Yoon has faced serious challenges from the beginning of his term, coming to power with low approval ratings and an opposition-dominated parliament.

The 63-year-old former prosecutor, who played a key role in the successful prosecutions of former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, had never held a political role before announcing his presidential run in 2021.

In 2019, he was appointed prosecutor general by his predecessor, President Moon Jae-in – but their relationship soured after Yoon launched an investigation into Moon’s justice minister, significantly raising the stakes. telling Yoon’s record to the public. After resigning in March 2021, Yoon won the presidential nomination of the conservative People Power party.

In the following year’s election, he won over his progressive opponent by just 0.73% – the narrowest margin of any election. Korea run for president.

Yoon got an early taste of the challenge he will face from the opposition-controlled parliament as he struggles to win approval for his preferred cabinet candidates, four of whom have forced to withdraw due to accusations of impropriety.

Difficulties continued as Yoon tried to pass the law. As of January 2024, only 29% of bills had been submitted to parliament by his government. has been passed.

Yoon responded by using the presidential veto to override opposition-sponsored legislation, vetoing more laws than any predecessor since the end of military rule in 1987.

Early in his tenure, he made a point of informally taking questions from journalists upon arriving at work. But his relationship with the media soured as he targeted critical reporting, with police and prosecutors repeatedly deployed against supposed publishers. is “fake news”.

Another public relations setback occurred when Yoon announced plans to move his office from the historic “Blue House” palace in central Seoul to the Ministry of National Defense complex. Yoon hoped that a simpler work environment would make him appear closer to the public, but he faced fierce opposition over the cost of implementing the plan.

Other struggles have occurred in key policy areas, including education – Yoon was forced to scrap plans to force children to start school a year earlier – and health, with doctors Doctor is conducting an investigation. prolonged strike exceed salary and conditions.

His unpopularity was accentuated by parliamentary elections in April this year, which gave another large majority to the opposition Democratic Party.

Opposition lawmakers have since pushed for an investigation into Yoon and his wife over allegations, which Yoon has strongly denied, of improper dealings with the polling agency’s owner.

Yoon has sometimes received warmer receptions abroad – notably during a state visit to Washington last April, when he delighted President Joe Biden with a performance of the 1970s song . American Cake. Yoon also became the first South Korean president to attend a NATO meeting and extended significant aid to Ukraine, as he increased military and security cooperation with the US and Japan.

This drew criticism from the opposition, who accused him of going against China, the country’s most important trading partner.

In contrast to his predecessor Moon, who favored dialogue with North Korea, Yoon took a tougher stance toward Pyongyang, which responded with more missile tests during his time in power.

As the parliamentary protest continued, Yoon became increasingly frustrated – especially with the opposition’s refusal to pass his proposed annual budget. The opposition has countered with a smaller package, which Yoon said would mean unacceptable cuts to areas including disaster prevention and child care support.

“The legislative dictatorship of the Democratic Party. . . even using the budget as a means of political struggle,” Mr. Yoon said Tuesday in his speech announcing martial law.

Hours later, he said he intended to lift the “emergency” measure after lawmakers voted for it in parliament – making his position more uncertain amid one of the the most serious constitutional crisis in South Korea’s modern history.