South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol’s rude criticism at the burning US mic goes viral

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SEOUL — Already struggling with record approval ratings, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ran into trouble again after his derogatory remarks about key US ally were picked up on a searing microphone.

Yoon, a political novice who took office in May, is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, and chatted with Joe Biden on Wednesday during a photo op at the Global Fund where the US president had just promised 6 billions of dollars.

“How could Biden not lose face if these f****rs don’t pass him in Congress?” Yoon was later caught telling his aides in a video that went viral in South Korea.

From left, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President Joe Biden, Ambassador Connie Mudenda (RED) and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pose for photos during of the Seventh Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund, on September 21, 2022, in New York. Evan Vucci/AP

A YouTube video of Yoon’s comments racked up more than two million views just hours after it was posted, and “f****rs” became the number one trending topic on Twitter in South Korea on Thursday.

“The president’s words and actions are the national dignity of the country,” wrote one YouTube commenter.

Yoon’s crude comments appear to refer to Mr Biden’s desire to increase US funding to the Global Fund, which would require congressional approval. The fund is a global healthcare initiative founded more than two decades ago to fight HIV and TB around the world, but now works to ensure access to healthcare for people around the world in development.

The United States is South Korea’s main security ally, with Washington stationing about 27,000 troops in the country to help counter nuclear-armed North Korea.

US and South Korean forces train to respond to North Korean attack 03:51

Yoon, a former prosecutor, made what analysts describe as a series of unforced errors during his first few months in office, which is usually a honeymoon period for new presidents in South Korea.

At one point, his approval rating dropped to 24%, although it has since increased slightly to 32%.

His predecessor, Moon Jae-in, enjoyed an approval rating of around 70% at the same stage of his tenure, according to poll data, and Yoon started working with 52% of those polled believing that he was doing a good job.

The hot comments from the mic come just days after Yoon’s office was forced to defend its decision not to pay respects to the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lying in state, allegedly due to ‘heavy traffic’ .

In August, he also came under fire for a chaotic official response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to South Korea, where she landed after a controversial layover in Taiwan.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi leaves Taiwan 04:04

Yoon’s critics were quick to seize on his latest alleged gaffe.

“Yoon’s foul language tarnishing the US Congress has caused a major diplomatic incident,” said opposition Democratic Party leader Park Hong-keun.

Yoon’s office told AFP it had not commented on the incident.

After

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