South Korea’s president needs to learn the basics
Politics is as much about presentation as policy
Speaking to the press on his 100th day in office, on August 17th, Yoon Suk-yeol could hardly have been less charismatic had he tried. Rattling at breakneck speed through obvious policy ambitions (denuclearising North Korea, mending ties with Japan) and minor accomplishments (attending a nato meeting in Spain), South Korea’s president at least upheld his campaign promise not to “put on a show”.
That is in keeping with the anti-politician schtick that he deployed to win office in March. His predecessor, Moon Jae-in, was a smooth operator with a long political career. Mr Yoon is a gruff prosecutor who entered politics less than a year before he was elected. Yet as president, the schtick has been exposed as reality: his lack of political skill has become a liability.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Panic button”
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