South Korean President Yoon 'cornered' after martial law bungle, says expert

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's move to declare - and rapidly rescind - martial law this week has left him "cornered," a political expert told Reuters on Sunday (December 8). Shin Yul, professor of Political Science and Diplomacy at Myongji University, said Yoon's bungled attempt to declare martial law for the first time since 1980 left him with few allies, both domestically and abroad, even as an attempt by opposition lawmakers to impeach him failed. "President Yoon Suk Yeol has now become a figure so heavily criticised by the South Korean public that running the government has practically become unfeasible. When you think about how many percent of people in the entire nation would trust anything he says, even if he makes a statement, likely there aren’t many who would take it literally," Shin said. Yoon apologised to South Koreans in a televised statement on Saturday (December 7), hours before opposition lawmakers held a vote to impeach him in the country's National Assembly. The majority of lawmakers from Yoon's People Power Party abstained from the vote, which required a two-thirds majority to pass. (Production: Tom Bateman & Sebin Choi)