Suk Yol Jun (Yoon Suk-yeol)

Suk Yol Jun (Yoon Suk-yeol)

Biography

2022: Election as President of South Korea

Yoon Suk Yol, a presidential candidate from the conservative People's Power Party, won the presidential election on March 9, 2022. He was 0.7 percentage points ahead of rival Lee Jae Myong from the Democratic Party, which was the smallest margin since the country adopted a system of direct presidential elections in 1987.

Since the country began to hold free presidential elections, progressives and conservatives have alternately served as president for two consecutive terms (under current law, the president can hold this post for one five-year term). However, with the victory of Yoon, this formula collapsed.

The approval rating of the current president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, fluctuates around 45%, which is a high indicator compared to the approval rating of his predecessors in the last months of their tenure before the election. In this sense, Moon is likely to be the first president who has not had a period of failure. However, given that Yoon succeeded him, the election results reflect Moon's failure in managing domestic affairs over the past five years.

In his first message as president-elect, Yoon said that he "will exclusively trust people and follow the will of the people." Yoon also said that his victory is a desperate call by people for a policy of unity, not division, and a vote for reforms to restore justice and common sense.

Based on the statements of the newly elected president, his election marks a significant shift from the emphasis of outgoing President Moon Jae-in on engaging North Korea in dialogue and advancing a comprehensive peace process based on diplomacy. Yoon has taken a dominant conservative stance on North Korea and is expected to take a tougher stance on North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs, seeking closer cooperation with the United States on North Korea, China and Russia, as well as improved communications with Japan.

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