Embracing Japan makes Yoon less popular at home

When South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol broke out into an impromptu performance of the song “American Pie” at a gala White House dinner in 2023, it was more than just a musical interlude. It was symbolic of how, on the big Indo-Pacific issues of the day, Washington and Seoul are singing from the same songbook.

But so, too, is Japan. That means South Korea’s karaoke-loving leader is humming a different tune from that of his predecessors on the international stage. He risks hitting a sour note back home.

Yoon, who took office in May 2022, has embraced closer ties with Japan, South Korea’s former colonizer, as part of an alignment with US-led security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. It entails a more demanding stance toward North Korea’s denuclearization and a watchful eye on China and its increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

The approach culminated in a historic Camp David summit in 2023 aimed at solidifying relations between South Korea and Japan.

Such rapprochement with Japan has won Yoon plaudits in the US. But it has done nothing to improve his popularity back home. In South Korea, there is growing disapproval of Yoon’s leadership.

Critics point to an illiberal streak in his rhetoric and policies, detectible in attacks on his critics and the media. It has, they contend, contributed to a worrying trend of democratic erosion in Korea.

Yoon’s poll ratings are sinking at a time when his conservative party seeks control of parliament in elections slated for April 10, 2024.

As scholars who study democratization and authoritarian politics and modern Korea, we are watching as these concerns grow in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. That vote will prove a test of the popular support for Yoon, his