Offended rice farmers. Putting medical doctors. A $2,200 Dior bag.
South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, might have sealed his political destiny final week when he declared martial legislation, triggering public outrage. However he was hardly a beloved determine earlier than that.
Even earlier than Mr. Yoon’s temporary imposition of army rule, a sequence of scandals and unpopular selections had left him with a number of the lowest approval rankings in South Korea’s historical past.
Now he faces an impeachment push, an riot investigation and extra protesters than he’s seen since taking energy in 2022. Rising inequality, rising costs and escalating threats from North Korea have additionally left voters indignant.
Right here’s how Mr. Yoon misplaced the belief of a lot of his citizens.
March
Mr. Yoon was voted into workplace by the thinnest margin since South Korea started holding free presidential elections in 1987. Inside days, he introduced a controversial plan to relocate the Protection Ministry so his workplace might transfer into its compound, at a value to taxpayers of about $41 million.
Could
Weeks into Mr. Yoon’s time period, two of his cupboard nominees withdrew after being accused of nepotism. Three extra would resign inside months.
September
A media outlet revealed a recording of Mr. Yoon apparently utilizing an expletive to consult with U.S. lawmakers after a gathering with President Biden. Mr. Yoon referred to as the report “pretend information,” and members of his social gathering tried to enter the broadcaster’s workplaces. Mr. Yoon has repeatedly gone after journalists and information organizations that criticized him, resulting in accusations of censorship and backsliding on democratic values.
October
Halloween celebrations in Itaewon, a full of life Seoul neighborhood, was catastrophe when 159 younger individuals have been killed in a crowd crush. Grieving households have been livid on the authorities. Information confirmed that the authorities had missed a number of alternatives to forestall such a disaster. However the authorities insisted it had not been accountable for public security that evening as a result of the festivities weren’t an official occasion. Mr. Yoon blamed officers within the subject and refused to apologize.
March
Pushing to fix ties with Tokyo, Mr. Yoon introduced that his authorities would not search compensation from Japan for subjecting Koreans to compelled labor throughout World Struggle II, saying it could as an alternative pay the victims itself. Mr. Biden praised the deal, however critics at residence solid the choice as a give up to South Korea’s former colonizer.
April
Citing issues about overproduction, Mr. Yoon vetoed a invoice that will have required the federal government to purchase surplus rice to stabilize costs. Farmers have since taken to the streets to demand the invoice’s return.
Could
Tens of 1000’s of nurses went on strike after Mr. Yoon vetoed laws meant to enhance their pay and dealing circumstances. Mr. Yoon pointed to reservations that medical doctors and nursing assistants had expressed in regards to the invoice.
August
Mr. Yoon’s endorsement of close by Japan’s plan to discharge handled radioactive wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant set off a public backlash.
November
Video taken with a hidden digital camera confirmed Mr. Yoon’s spouse, Kim Keon Hee, accepting an costly Dior pouch. She had been accused of questionable monetary dealings earlier than Mr. Yoon took workplace. Lawmakers handed a invoice requiring an investigation into the claims, however Mr. Yoon vetoed it, denying that his spouse had carried out something fallacious.
December
Mr. Yoon vetoed a union-backed invoice that will have restricted corporations’ capability to sue staff for losses throughout strikes. With wages stagnant, steel staff, who’re very important to South Korea’s car and shipbuilding industries, had been protesting the federal government’s labor insurance policies for months.
February
Trainee medical doctors walked off the job, demanding higher pay and dealing circumstances and protesting Mr. Yoon’s plan to dramatically enhance medical college enrollment. Some senior medical doctors quickly determined to hitch the strike for sooner or later every week. Many sufferers blamed the disruptions on the president’s unwillingness to compromise.
April
In parliamentary elections, voters gave the opposition 187 of the Nationwide Meeting’s 300 seats, one of many largest majorities in a long time. The outcomes have been broadly seen as a verdict on Mr. Yoon, and his approval ranking hit a brand new low: 23 p.c.
Could
Mr. Yoon vetoed a invoice calling for a particular investigation into the dying of a marine and its aftermath. The marine died in 2023 whereas on a mission to rescue flood victims; it was later revealed that his crew had not been given life jackets. An officer who investigated the case accused Mr. Yoon of pressuring the Protection Ministry to whitewash the matter.
November
Demanding wage protections, the nation’s largest commerce union organizer introduced plans for tens of 1000’s of railway, subway and college staff to strike in the course of the first week of December.
Dec. 3
Mr. Yoon declared martial legislation — however he withdrew the order six hours later, after lawmakers rushed to the Nationwide Meeting and voted to rescind it.
Final weekend, simply earlier than lawmakers tried to question him, Mr. Yoon apologized to the individuals for declaring martial legislation. His social gathering hinted that he would possibly step down.
However in a speech televised on Thursday, Mr. Yoon mentioned his decree had been essential to “save the nation” from “anti-state” opposition events, and he vowed to “struggle to the top.”
An individual carrying a Yoon Suk Yeol masks danced in entrance of the Nationwide Meeting constructing after martial legislation was rescinded, because the police started to open the streets.
Chang W. Lee/The New York Instances
