Opinion | How Biden Could Take Advantage of Trump’s Indictment — The Korean Way

Politics

They say sharing a common challenge is the best way to build a friendship. President Joe Biden, then, is on track to becoming fast friends with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol; the two are reuniting during Yoon’s state visit to Washington, D.C., this week, as the two heads of state face a number of similar challenges.

Both suffer from miserably low approval ratings. Biden’s popularity trails behind that of virtually every modern U.S. president. In Morning Consult’s survey of 22 major global leaders, Yoon comes in dead last with a 19 percent approval rating and a staggering 75 percent disapproval rating. Neither president can pass any significant law, as their opposition controls at least part of the legislature.

But most pertinently, both presidents deal with a political environment destabilized by their predecessor’s indictment. The only difference is that Yoon has been able to use this situation to his advantage — and could even offer Biden some pointers on how to benefit from the prosecution of former President Donald Trump.