Yoon Suk-yeol, a former top prosecutor, climbed to the presidency in less than a year after joining politics with a vow to restore fairness following a government characterized by soaring house prices and corruption scandals. Yoon Suk-yeol is the first former prosecutor to hold the presidency. The political novice now has the opportunity to demonstrate his presidential capabilities by tackling the growing number of political and diplomatic issues that the country is facing.

After winning a landslide election with high expectations, Moon Jae-administration in's was rocked by academic fraud scandals involving his close aide Cho Kuk, economic despair, and deepening polarization. Moon Jae-administration in's was characterized by public frustration that grew under his administration.

With the slogans of an integrated administration and political transformation, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, sought to alter the tide of the election, but was unable to overcome the voters' yearning for a change in the regime.

Following his election on Thursday, Yoon spoke at a news briefing, saying, "The people placed me here with hope in my belief that I have not succumbed to any authority in the pursuit of fairness and justice over the last 26 years."

"The voice of reform to rectify" the justice and common sense of our country, he added, and he pledged to "never forget" the will of the people who voted for him.

Despite widespread support for regime change, the contest was quite close. Yoon's lack of political experience, his recurrent gaffes, and scandals involving his family were all factors that weighed heavily on the minds of many voters until the very last minute. He must now demonstrate his political abilities in order to assuage the fears of the electorate.

Challenges on a political level

Because to Yoon's election as President of South Korea, the People Power Party has been successful in recapturing the presidency only five years after its previously elected president was impeached and removed from office. In the meanwhile, the party will have to deal with a National Assembly that is overwhelmingly controlled by the Democratic Party.

Currently, the Democratic Party of Korea controls 172 of the 295 seats in the National Assembly. The People's Power Party presently maintains only 106 seats in the House of Representatives.

The next general election will be held on April 10, 2024, and Yoon will have to cope with the newly formed liberal party, which would effectively control the legislature for the next two years, or roughly half of his tenure, if it is elected.

The appointment of the prime minister may prove to be a difficult initial challenge. In order for the selection of the prime minister candidate to be approved, a majority of the current members of parliament must attend the session. At least 148 members of the House of Representatives must attend, with 74 members of the House of Representatives agreeing to attend. However, even after accounting for the seats held by the People Power Party and the tiny People's Party, the total number of MPs falls considerably short of the required number.

In order for Yoon to be able to push reform without legislative backing, the Democratic Party's assistance is required immediately after any new policy is unveiled.

President Yoon's leadership in enlisting the support of the opposition party will be a primary priority in the upcoming state-run administration. And he has stated that he will do so.

"It is only through the efforts of the president and the governing party that politics that saves people's lives and prioritizes the national interest will be achievable," Yoon said on Thursday. "I want to engage with the council and work with the opposing party," said the author.

Aside from that, he vowed to openly and honestly engage with the public about current state matters.

What is the best way to combine with Ahn?

Yoon is likely to play a prominent role in the next administration, as Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of the People's Party, who pulled out of the contest and proclaimed his support for Yoon. Yoon and Ahn stated on March 3, a day before the start of early voting, that they had reached an agreement on creating a combined administration. They did not, however, specifically mention Ahn's position in the incoming administration.

"First and foremost, it is critical that we achieve rapid unity," Yoon stated. "Ahn Cheol-soo is widely regarded as having a significant influence on our party and the administration. "There is no confirmation of anything particular."

According to political observers, Ahn is expected to be appointed as the first prime minister of the newly formed administration. According to those on Yoon's side, Ahn should be appointed as the deputy prime minister for science and technology since he has stressed that Korea is a "science and technology powerhouse." Ahn's camp replied negatively, claiming that this was insufficient evidence to support an united administration with the United States.

There is a potential that Ahn would serve as the chairman of the presidential committee, which will be established shortly. With regard to Ahn's responsibilities, he must collaborate with Yoon's officials in order to assume control of the joint government, as well as to incorporate into the new government's policy position the philosophy and vision of state affairs that Ahn pushed for throughout the presidential campaign.

According to some in the political community, Ahn will run for the role of party leader following the merger of his tiny party with the People Power Party. "One of the things I truly want to accomplish is to transform the existing People Power Party into a more practical and central party," Ahn stated in a press conference immediately after the proclamation of unification on March 3.

Enhanced connections with the United States and Japan; harsher on North Korea

South Korea is likewise confronted with a slew of diplomatic issues in the context of international relations.

North Korea, which has hinted at a nuclear test as well as the abolition of the ban on the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles, is posing a threat to the people of the Korean Peninsula. South Korea's diplomatic strategy in the midst of the war for global domination between the United States and China is now a question of survival for the country. As a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the emergence of a new Cold War will almost certainly require Korea to make strategic decisions.

Yoon stated that his diplomatic and security policies will be different from those of the Moon Jae-in government, which had been in place for the previous five years.

He made it apparent that he intended to shift his focus away from China and toward the United States. Yoon agreed to join in a vaccination, climate change, and new technology working group under the Quadrilateral Security Discussion, a strategic security dialogue between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, and to pursue official membership in the group if invited to participate.

Yoon is also anticipated to improve relations with Japan, which have reached their worst point in recent history under the present government, in order to further deepen collaboration between Korea, the United States, and Japan.

In addition, the president-elect is anticipated to pursue a more stringent stance against the North than Moon did.

While speaking at an election rally, Yoon expressed concern over a significant shift in North Korea's policies, claiming that Moon's government had rendered inter-Korean ties abnormal and harmed popular dignity by acting in a subservient manner toward the regime in North Korea.

In his speech at the gathering, he stated that "North Korea's unlawful and outrageous activities would be dealt with severely in accordance with the principle," but that "the door to inter-Korean dialogue will remain open at all times."

Gender disparity is growing.

The president-elect will also have to deal with the issue of closing the growing gender gap in our society.

He appeared to be pursuing a strategy of amplifying gender-biased rhetoric in his campaign narratives while running a tight race against the Democratic Party's Lee Jae-myung, in order to secure votes from the undecided male electorate in their 20s and 30s — age groups that are perceived to be sensitive to gender-related issues — during the course of the campaign.

Many of his promises, such as dissolving the Ministry of Gender Equality, and statements, such as the fact that there is no systemic gender discrimination in Korea, drew the ire of feminists and other women.

The continuous debate over the gender difference in society, according to critics, has been exacerbated as a result of this.

Yoon, on the other hand, asserted that his method of thinking about the gender issue, which he believes should not be considered a structural problem, is a better approach to "defend women."

Given that his words and election pledges have been condemned for being purposely designed to create a division between men and women, Yoon responded simply by stating that he has never intentionally created a divide between the two genders.

"I never intended to create a division between men and women. But what I believe is that, rather than seeing the gender gap as an issue of equality, it is vital to analyze it as a collection of individual concerns," Yoon said during a question and answer session with media after delivering his first speech as president-elect on Thursday.

In order to deal with unfair practices, we have put in place the necessary legislation and systems. And I've always believed that it's critical for the government to pay special attention to these issues," I said.

He said that his election campaign had been misinterpreted by opponents and that he had no cause to incite such a rift between the two parties.