Who is Yoon Suk Yeol?

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Yoon Suk Yeol vowed that if South Korea’s president he would “rebuild this great country” into one that “belongs to the people” during his inauguration speech in May 2022.

Instead, his administration has been characterized by increasing political volatility and volatility, which culminated Tuesday in his announcement. martial law in the country for the first time in more than four decades.

Yoon he has faced major challenges since his first term, entering state with low approval ratings and a parliament controlled by the opposition.

The 63-year-old former prosecutor, who played a key role in the successful impeachment of former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, had not taken any political action before announcing his 2021 presidential bid.

In 2019, he was appointed chief prosecutor by his predecessor as president, the liberal Moon Jae-in – but their relationship soured after Yoon launched an investigation into Moon’s justice minister, raising Yoon’s profile. After stepping down in March 2021, Yoon was elected president of the conservative People Power party.

In the election the following year he won by just 0.73% – the narrowest margin of any race. South Korea presidential race.

Mr. Yoon faced a challenge from the opposition-led parliament as he struggled to approve his cabinet nominees, four of whom were forced to leave for improper reasons.

The crisis continued as Yoon tried to enforce the law. By January 2024, only 29 percent of the cases submitted to parliament by the government it had passed.

Yoon responded by using the president’s voting power to overturn opposition-backed laws, vetoing more laws than any of his predecessors since the end of military rule in 1987.

At the beginning of his tenure, he made sure to take questions from the media when he arrived at work. But his relationship with the media has soured as he faces critical reporting, with police and prosecutors repeatedly deployed against those who allegedly spread “fake news”.

Another public relations setback came when Yoon announced plans to move his office from the “Blue House” palace in central Seoul to the Defense Ministry office. Yoon hoped that his low-level work would make him appear to be in touch with the common people, but he was met with outcry over the cost of using the system.

Some of the fights have come over sensitive areas, including education – Yoon was forced to drop a plan to get children to start school last year – and health, and doctors. neglected for a long time on wages and conditions.

His unpopularity was confirmed by the parliamentary elections in April, which yielded the opposition Democratic Party.

Opposition lawmakers have been under pressure to investigate Yoon and his wife over allegations that Yoon has strongly denied wrongdoing by the polling agency’s owner.

Yoon has occasionally received a lukewarm reception overseas – most notably during his visit to Washington in April last year, when he serenaded President Joe Biden with a 1970s song. American Pie. Yoon also became the first South Korean president to attend a NATO summit and increase aid to Ukraine, while expanding military and defense cooperation with the US and Japan.

This drew criticism from critics, who accused him of defying China, the country’s most important trading partner.

Unlike his predecessor Moon, who preferred to negotiate with North Korea, Yoon took a tougher stance on Pyongyang, which has responded with more missile tests during his administration.

As parliamentary resistance continues, Mr. Yoon has grown increasingly frustrated — especially the opposition’s refusal to approve his annual budget. Opponents fought the smaller package, which Yoon said would mean unconscionable cuts to areas including disaster preparedness and child support.

“The tyranny of the Democratic Party . . . they even use the budget as a way to fight for politics,” Yoon said Tuesday in a speech announcing martial law.

Hours later he announced plans to lift a “state of emergency” after lawmakers voted down parliament – leaving his position uncertain amid the biggest legal crisis in South Korea’s modern history.