South Korea’s president needs to learn the basics

Speaking to the press on his 100th day in office, on August 17th, Yoon Suk-yeol could hardly have been less charismatic had he tried. Rattling at breakneck speed through obvious policy ambitions (denuclearising North Korea, mending ties with Japan) and minor accomplishments (attending a nato meeting in Spain), South Korea’s president at least upheld his campaign promise not to “put on a show”.

That is in keeping with the anti-politician schtick that he deployed to win office in March. His predecessor, Moon Jae-in, was a smooth operator with a long political career. Mr Yoon is a gruff prosecutor who entered politics less than a year before he was elected. Yet as president, the schtick has been exposed as reality: his lack of political skill has become a liability.