Profile of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol whose ruling party was defeated in parliamentary polls

Record ID: 1863246

  • Title: Profile of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol whose ruling party was defeated in parliamentary polls
  • Date: 2nd March 2022
  • Summary: In January, Yoon and South Korea's ruling democratic party's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung attended the opening ceremony of the 2022 stock market at the Korea Exchange (KRX). SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - JANUARY 3, 2022) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** COUNTDOWN AT STOCK MARKET OPENING CEREMONY, CONFETTI FALLING YOON, RULING DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S PRES
  • Embargoed: 16th March 2022 00:50
  • Keywords: Blue House Camp David Kim Keon Hee South Korea U.S. Forces Korea USFK Yoon Suk Yeol election file president profile
  • Location: SEOUL, PYEONGTAEK, SOUTH KOREA / WASHINGTON, D.C., CAMP DAVID, UNITED STATES
  • City: SEOUL, PYEONGTAEK, SOUTH KOREA / WASHINGTON, D.C., CAMP DAVID, UNITED STATES
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA006854501011970RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South Korea's liberal opposition parties scored a landslide victory in a parliamentary election held on Wednesday (April 10), dealing a resounding blow to President Yoon Suk Yeol and his conservative party but likely falling just short of a super majority.
    The Democratic Party (DP) was projected to take more than 170 of the 300 seats in the new legislature, data by the National Election Commission and network broadcasters showed with more than 99% of the votes counted as of 5:55 a.m. on Thursday (April 11) (2055 GMT Wednesday).
    Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) was projected to win just over 100 seats, meaning Yoon would avoid the super-majority of a two-third opposition control that could break presidential vetoes and pass constitutional amendments.
    But nearing the end of the first two years of his five-year single term allowed by the constitution, Yoon was likely to slip into a lame duck status, some analysts said.
    Born in 1960 in Seoul, the 63-year-old Yoon is described by colleagues as both feisty and gregarious. He was appointed as South Korea's prosecutor-general in 2019, after more than two decades in the legal service, jailing many across the national political spectrum for corruption.
    Yoon was courted by the conservative bloc for showcasing his uncompromising nature, even filing bribery charges against a key aide to outgoing President Moon Jae-in — the man who hired him.
    Yoon resigned from the prosecutor job in March 2021 and launched his bid to become South Korea's leader three months later. He ran on a ticket to fight corruption and create a more level economic playing field, while seeking a tougher line on North Korea.
    He won a close presidential election on March 9, 2022 without an outright majority for his PPP.
    Under Yoon's conservative administration, North Korea has made unprecedented strides in its weapons programs, including massive new ballistic missiles that can reach the United States and speedy new tactical missiles designed to defeat missile defence systems.
    In 2023, Yoon attended a trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a bid to project unity in the face of North Korea’s nuclear threats. A few months later, the defence chiefs of all three countries agreed to start as planned a real-time data sharing scheme on North Korean missiles in December.
    (Production: Minwoo Park, Heejung Jung)
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