Foreign Media: Yoon Becomes 'Vegetative President' as Leadership Vacuum and Political Dysfunction Deepen

On December 9 (local time), U.S. media outlets reported that President Yoon Suk-yeol has become a "vegetative" president after being banned from leaving the country under a state of emergency. They also pointed out that the leadership vacuum and political dysfunction in South Korea have deepened.

Yonhap News Agency

The Washington Post (WP) reported that "President Yoon survived on Saturday as his party boycotted the impeachment vote, but calls for his resignation are growing, with the prime minister taking over day-to-day governance and military leaders declaring they would not follow any new orders, including the imposition of martial law." The article stated, "His presidency is in a vegetative state."

WP also commented on the announcement by Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo that the party and the government would jointly manage state affairs until President Yoon steps down, stating, "The governance of the country is effectively paralyzed," and assessed, "This measure is legally ambiguous and represents a power struggle aimed at forcing President Yoon's resignation."

The New York Times (NYT) wrote, "President Yoon's travel ban has further deepened South Korea's political dysfunction," and noted that the Ministry of Justice's acceptance of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials' request to ban President Yoon from leaving the country "shows that his grip on the government is weakening."

The newspaper also reported that the travel ban "has intensified the fallout from President Yoon's extraordinary measure (martial law)," adding, "Since President Yoon's brief period of martial law, South Korea has fallen into a leadership vacuum, and the growing protests are demanding his resignation." It went on to say, "With President Yoon having all but disappeared from the public eye, South Koreans are unsure who is actually governing the country."

Additionally, the NYT noted that no sitting president in South Korea has ever been arrested or detained, and explained that legal scholars are divided on whether President Yoon could continue to govern if he were to be detained.

CNN pointed out, "Although President Yoon survived the impeachment vote, his political survival is in a precarious state."

Fox News, referencing the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, noted that Park refused to be questioned by prosecutors while in office, but was investigated and detained after leaving office.