South Korea’s new president knows he has his hands full.
Yoon Suk-yeol, 61, took office on Tuesday and warned of a world in turmoil amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the growing nuclear threat posed by North Korea and increasing competition between China and the United States — the one South Korea’s largest trading partner and the other , his primary security ally.
War, disease, climate change, food and energy crises, he said, are wreaking havoc around the world and “casting a long and dark shadow over us.”
Back in South Korea, he spoke of a looming “crisis of democracy” with unemployment and a widening gap between rich and poor fueling discord and leaving many with no sense of belonging or community.
But with characteristic bravado, Yoon told the 40,000 people who gathered on Seoul’s National Assembly lawn for his inauguration that “nothing is impossible.” He vowed to address the “complex and multifaceted challenges” by championing “freedom,” “liberal democracy,” and rapid economic growth.
However, there are many obstacles for the new leader, mainly because of his low popularity and lack of political experience.
Yoon, a former chief prosecutor, ran for the conservative People Power Party and won the March election by a margin of 0.7 percent – the narrowest in South Korea’s democratic history. Analysts described him as more of an “accidental president” voted for by many South Koreans in protest at his predecessor Moon Jae-in after the Democratic Party politician failed to deliver on key promises to fight inequality, curb sky-high housing prices and mediate peace with North Korea.
In fact, Moon had appointed Yoon as chief prosecutor after gaining fame for successfully indicting former conservative President Park Geun-hye on corruption charges. But the pair fell out after Yoon began targeting the then-president’s inner circle, including filing fraud charges against his Attorney General Cho Kuk.
“Mr Clean”
Korea expert Kyung Hyun Kim says Yoon was seen “as Mr. Clean” for prosecuting prominent businessmen and politicians from across the spectrum.
“It didn’t matter which government was in power, whether it was the left or the right. Yoon investigated the corruption in the system. He has a track record of seeking justice, regardless of the political cost,” said the professor of East Asian Studies at the University of California Irvine in the United States. “And in a society that is seen as largely unfair, where there are deep divisions between rich and poor, and where many ordinary people feel that equal opportunity is not guaranteed, there is hope that he will bring justice to South Korea.”
But despite respect for Yoon’s tenacity as a prosecutor, the new president begins his only five-year term with historically low approval ratings. Only 55 percent of respondents polled for a recent Gallup Korea poll believe he will do well in office. By comparison, his predecessors had received about 80 to 90 percent before assuming their presidency.
Yoon’s low level of popularity partly reflects South Korea’s unruly politics, marked by deep conservative-liberal divisions, analysts said, but also several of his own controversial policies, including a campaign promise to abolish the country’s ministry of gender equality. Critics had condemned the pledge as a misogynist ploy by Yoon – a self-confessed “anti-feminist” – to exploit South Korea’s toxic gender politics and win votes from young men who fear losing ground to women.
The cabinet elections for the new president also caused consternation.
His candidate for education minister, Kim In-chul, resigned last week amid allegations of misconduct, including allegations that he used his influence as president of the Korea Fulbright Alumni Association to help his son and daughter win the prestigious Fulbright scholarships for studying in the USA.
Yoon’s pick for health minister has also faced similar criticism, while his nominee for justice minister has come under fire over media reports that his teenage daughter is exaggerating her after-school activities to secure a place at university.
Controversy also arose over Yoon’s decision to move his office and residence from Seoul’s Blue House compound to the Defense Ministry complex. The move could cost about 50 billion won ($41.14 million), and some Democratic Party officials say Yoon is influenced by feng shui masters who believe the Blue House is unfavorable. The new president denies that.
Jaechun Kim, a professor of international relations at South Korea’s Sogang University, says Yoon’s choice of ministers, as well as his insistence on moving ahead with his residency move – despite widespread criticism – have eroded his support.
“I really don’t have high hopes for Yoon’s presidency,” he said. “He’s not a politician. He pretty much goes his own way. And he has no qualms about that. So I just hope he doesn’t make any serious mistakes. If he can bring normality back to South Korean society, politics and economy after a disastrous presidency of Moon Jae-in, I’ll be happy.”
“There is no direction”
Other analysts say Yoon – who has never held elected office – is also yet to outline a clear vision for how he plans to address South Korea’s various challenges, including the North Korean provocations and relations with China and the US.
During the election campaign, he signaled a hard line towards Pyongyang, threatening a pre-emptive strike if there were any sign of an impending attack. He also said he would abandon Moon’s “strategic ambiguity” between the US and China in favor of Washington and join the quad grouping of the US, Australia, Japan and India.
He also pledged to buy an additional THAAD missile system from the US, which China had previously refused, claiming the system’s powerful radar could penetrate its territory. When South Korea last used THAAD five years ago, Beijing responded with unofficial sanctions, including stopping Chinese tour groups from visiting South Korea and boycotting and banning Korean-owned companies in China.
Since winning the election, Yoon has retracted some of his earlier statements, offering North Korea a “bold” economic plan in his inaugural speech if it commits to denuclearization. His cabinet picks have also said “further study” is needed before deploying an additional THAAD battery.
Some experts say Yoon needs to show consistency and clarify his policies.
“It lacks a direction in which it exactly wants to take South Korea and its people,” said Hyung-A Kim, associate professor of Korean politics and history at the Australian National University. “Previous presidents all had a clear direction, but with Yoon we don’t know exactly.”
Others, however, say the nature of the challenges the new president faces will help refine his policy priorities.
“Although Yoon Suk-yeol’s presidency begins with many obstacles, I think the future is bright,” said Youngshik Bong, a research fellow at Yonsei University’s Institute of North Korean Studies.
“North Korea’s provocations and strategic competition between China and Russia on the one hand and the US and other countries on the other will help clarify political priorities for the new South Korean government…Challenges and crises may turn out to be strange friends for the new president in South Korea.” “