Seoul: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol now finds himself facing the gravest challenge of his tumultuous political career, with his fate resting in the hands of the judiciary after some of his own allies turned against him and voted to impeach him on Saturday, accusing him of leading an insurrection. Once seen as a resilient political figure, Yoon's isolation has grown in recent months, compounded by personal scandals, mounting opposition criticism, and divisions within his own party.

Since narrowly winning the presidency in 2022, Yoon's political battles have left him increasingly embittered, and his recklessness, once described by a former rival as a defining trait, has become more pronounced. By December 3, when Yoon imposed a brief martial law, his political standing had already been severely damaged.

This week, his claim that he acted out of “burning patriotism” to save the country from ruin and his declaration to “fight to the end” did little to win over those unconvinced that his actions warranted impeachment. Instead, his 29-minute speech raised concerns that he had lost touch with reality, with some fearing that his judgment was so compromised that he now posed a threat to the country’s stability. Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, suggested that Yoon might be listening to the wrong voices, including right-wing extremists and YouTube personalities, and still believes he acted correctly.

Opposition lawmakers described his address as a display of “extreme delusion,” while even some of his supporters acknowledged the toll that relentless political pressure had taken on him. “I hope we remember how the opposition party has relentlessly and viciously cornered the president and his family with threats of special prosecutors and impeachment,” said Ihn Yohan, a member of Yoon's People Power Party (PPP).

Yoon’s presidency has been overshadowed by scandal, particularly involving his wife, who faced accusations of accepting an expensive Christian Dior handbag as a gift. His failure to fully address the matter—along with his refusal to launch a probe into further allegations of stock price manipulation involving his wife and mother-in-law—only deepened the public’s frustration. Though prosecutors ultimately decided not to press charges, the episode played a major role in his party’s crushing defeat in the April parliamentary elections.

Despite these domestic troubles, Yoon has had some notable successes abroad. His diplomatic breakthrough with Japan, reversing a decades-long feud, and his push for trilateral security cooperation with the United States are seen as key achievements of his foreign policy. His personal charisma also shone during a White House event, where he famously performed "American Pie" before U.S. President Joe Biden and a captivated audience.

Born into a wealthy family in Seoul, Yoon’s early life was marked by academic success but also a carefree attitude, which led to repeated failures in passing the bar exam before eventually succeeding on his ninth attempt. His rise to prominence began in 2016, when, as chief prosecutor investigating President Park Geun-hye for corruption, he became a national figure for his public assertion that prosecutors were not "gangsters." His role in jailing the sitting president and his dramatic comeback as head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office set the stage for his meteoric rise.

Yoon’s subsequent appointment as prosecutor general and his leadership of a corruption probe into a close ally of President Moon Jae-in made him a darling of conservatives frustrated with Moon’s liberal policies, positioning him as a strong presidential contender in 2022. However, his presidency has been marred by controversies, including his decision to move the presidential office out of the Blue House, which sparked rumors of feng shui beliefs influencing the decision. His refusal to hold top officials accountable following the 2022 Halloween crowd disaster, in which 159 people were killed, earned him accusations of protecting loyalists rather than addressing failures.

Among these loyalists were key figures like Safety Minister Lee Sang-min and Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, both of whom had ties to Yoon’s past. It was Kim, along with Lee, who reportedly pushed for the martial law declaration that has now added fuel to the political firestorm engulfing Yoon.