South Korea’s political stability in doubt as failed Yoon-opposition meet risks ‘igniting partisan strife’

Hopes were high that President Yoon Suk-yeol’s first-ever meeting with opposition chief Lee Jae-myung might bring some measure of stability

But the two-hour encounter only served to underscore the country’s political gridlock – despite Yoon’s office talking up the importance of dialogue

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A news report about South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (centre, left) first-ever meeting with opposition leader Lee Jae-myung (centre, right) is seen on a television screen at a railway station in Seoul on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:30am, 5 May 2024

A deepening sense of uncertainty surrounds South Korea’s political stability after a meeting between the president and the leader of the opposition failed to yield any tangible results, with critics highlighting the continued absence of diplomacy in Seoul’s perilous game of posturing with rival Pyongyang.

President Yoon Suk-yeol should “show behavioural change” to sway voters following his party’s recent pummelling at the polls, observers say – yet there is little faith in him pivoting from what some call a “semi-authoritarian” style of governance.

Kim Hyung-joon, a political-science professor at Pai Chai University in Daejeon, highlighted this apparent discontent among voters with Yoon’s approach, which critics say has been characterised by political favouritism and selective law enforcement that goes easy on suspects with ties to the ruling camp.

Hopes were high on Monday that Yoon’s first meeting with opposition leader Lee Jae-myung would bring a measure of stability to the country’s turbulent politics, but the encounter only underscored the gridlock between the ruling conservative People Power Party and the liberal opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

Lee faces a slate of criminal charges, which he maintains are politically motivated, for alleged abuse of power, corruption and breaching election laws.

If he attempts to delay legal proceedings against himself until after the next presidential election in 2027 by clogging up the wheels of justice with a backlog of witnesses – or leverages the opposition’s new-found strength to pursue Yoon’s impeachment – he could “ignite a new cycle of partisan strife, further polarising the country’s political landscape”, Kim said.

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