Offended rice farmers. Placing 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 regulation, 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 scores 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 offended.
Right here’s how Mr. Yoon misplaced the belief of a lot of his voters.
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 may 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 confer with U.S. lawmakers after a gathering with President Biden. Mr. Yoon referred to as the report “faux information,” and members of his occasion tried to enter the broadcaster’s places of work. Mr. Yoon has repeatedly gone after
October
Halloween celebrations in Itaewon, a full of life Seoul neighborhood, became catastrophe when 159 younger individuals have been killed in a crowd crush.
March
Pushing to fix ties with Tokyo, Mr. Yoon introduced that his authorities would now not search compensation from Japan for subjecting Koreans to compelled labor throughout World Conflict II, saying it might as a substitute pay
April
Citing considerations about overproduction, Mr. Yoon vetoed a invoice that may have required the federal government to purchase surplus rice to stabilize costs.
Could
Tens of hundreds of nurses went on strike after Mr. Yoon vetoed laws meant to enhance their pay and dealing situations. Mr. Yoon pointed to reservations that medical doctors and nursing assistants had expressed concerning 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 digicam 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 completed something incorrect.
December
Mr. Yoon vetoed a union-backed invoice that may have restricted corporations’ skill to sue staff for losses throughout strikes. With wages stagnant,
February
Trainee medical doctors walked off the job, demanding higher pay and dealing situations and protesting Mr. Yoon’s plan to dramatically improve medical college enrollment. Some senior
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 extensively seen as a verdict on Mr. Yoon, and his approval score hit a brand new low: 23 p.c.
Could
Mr. Yoon vetoed a invoice calling for a particular investigation into the demise of a
November
Demanding wage protections, the nation’s largest commerce union organizer introduced plans for tens of hundreds of railway, subway and faculty staff to strike throughout the first week of December.
Dec. 3
Mr. Yoon declared martial regulation — 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 regulation. His occasion hinted that he would possibly step down.
However in a speech televised on Thursday, Mr. Yoon stated his decree had been essential to “save the nation” from “anti-state” opposition events, and he vowed to “struggle to the top.”
An individual sporting a Yoon Suk Yeol masks danced in entrance of the Nationwide Meeting constructing after martial regulation was rescinded, because the police started to open the streets.
Chang W. Lee/The New York Occasions