Out of touch How president sealed his own fate in martial law gambit

For Yoon Suk Yeol, this month's short-lived martial law declaration wasn't just a catastrophic miscalculation - it was the culmination of a presidency that had been troubled from the start.

- Raphael Rashid

When he narrowly won the election in March 2022, Yoon was already a divisive figure. The former prosecutor turned politician positioned himself as an archconservative, winning support particularly from young male voters by promising to abolish the ministry for gender equality, claiming South Korean women did not face systemic discrimination.

But his presidency was quickly beset by scandal, with his approval ratings hovering at about 35% for the past two years. His wife, Kim Keon-hee, proved to be his greatest political liability, facing allegations of accepting illegal gifts and accusations of stock manipulation.

Perhaps most damaging was his administration's handling of the Itaewon crowd crush that killed 159 people in October 2022.

There were early warning signs of authoritarian tendencies. Despite repeatedly championing "freedom" in his speeches (39 times in his last Liberation Day speech), Yoon's administration launched attacks on press freedom, raiding media offices and journalists' homes, and issuing a torrent of defamation suits.