South Korea has had 13 presidents since 1948. Those in the first decades tried to lift the nation out of war-torn rubble and perpetuate economic momentum, though they left a legacy of political repression. Their successors shared the overarching goal of strengthening the nation. And, despite their respective flaws and failings, they all strove to parry a nuclear-armed North Korea and global upheavals effectively.

Today, we have a president who does not display any cogent vision or resolute purpose other than to gag critics, shield his wife from accountability for her assorted wrongdoing, and nurture his own maverick image. Past the midpoint of his five-year term, it remains unclear why President Yoon Suk Yeol sought the top executive office. What are the priorities? Where is the architecture for them?

The Yoon presidency has been characterized by cognitive dissonance, moral impunity and unintelligible policy-making. Inevitably, calls for Yoon to step down or face impeachment are growing ever louder. As of last week, more than 5,000 professors and researchers at 94 universities throughout the country have issued declarations on the current situation, calling for Yoon’s immediate resignation.

Unfortunately, Yoon seems oblivious to the reasons for the discord. Truly concerning is his obvious insensitivity to the maelstrom he has created. He has declared that he will go his way, never minding his dipping approval ratings but pushing ahead with ill-timed reforms. “A ballplayer never looks at the scoreboard,” he reiterates proudly.

Yoon focuses on retribution instead of looking ahead to the future with any long-term vision for unity and harmony. He goes after his political opponents, critical press and labor activists via his former prosecutor cohorts. He rebuffs any dialogue with the legislature and opposition parties, turning back the clock on democracy.

In external relations, Yoon has antagonized North Korea and ignored China and Russia while focusing only on appeasing the US and Japan. Consequently, tensions are rising across the inter-Korean border and geopolitical risk is spreading in Northeast Asia. North Korea’s advances in nuclear and missile technology and troop deployment to assist Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine, combined with the re-election of former US President Donald Trump, who roiled US-South Korea relations in his first term, amplifies worries about Yoon’s ability to navigate the volatile tides in global politics.

Looking back, Yoon’s intellectual and temperamental ineptitude could well have been detected on his campaign trail. For example, two outlandish images of the top prosecutor-turned-rookie politician signaled how he was unqualified for democratic leadership: He appeared with the Chinese character “wang” (meaning “king”) drawn on his palm during TV debates; he closed all his campaign rallies with a big uppercut swing, seemingly intended as a gesture of defiance and victory but appearing comical at best.

The ludicrous image of a Chinese character on Yoon’s palm spawned rumors that his wife was steeped in shamanism and fortune-telling and maneuvering him behind the scenes. Several men surfaced as soothsayers and spiritual mentors supporting his election campaign. The latest revelations by yet another man -- a political broker of dubious background and self-styled “spiritual adviser” -- of his intimate connections with the presidential couple are even weirder.

Leaking telephone conversations and messages, the man, identified as Myung Tae-kyun, contends that he fabricated opinion polls in favor of Yoon to assist his election win. After the election, he purportedly advised Yoon to relocate the presidential office and residence. “I told them that, if they moved into the (haunted) Blue House, they would croak,” he said. Myung also asserts that he liaised for the first lady to interfere with the ruling party’s nomination of candidates for parliamentary elections.

These allegations have combined with those involving stock manipulation, taking bribes and meddling in key personnel appointments and other state affairs. Thus, the opposition parties passed a third bill calling for a special counsel probe of the first lady. Yet again, as widely anticipated, Yoon vetoed the bill.

In a rare press conference last month, Yoon vehemently proclaimed his wife’s innocence and condemned the special counsel system as unconstitutional, defining it as a breach of the separation of powers. Then, what about his celebrated past jobs? He had emerged as a star prosecutor through his role in the special investigations of two former presidents, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, demanding heavy penalties.

Yoon has already demonstrated a lack of respect for the Constitution by turning his back on the National Assembly and using the levers of government to protect his wife and himself. If he is to prove his leadership and end the chaos, he should manifest respect for the rule of law and principle of fairness by bringing his wife to justice, just as he is doing with his political foes, including the opposition leader Lee Jae-myung.

There will be no other way to find a breakthrough in the prolonged political conundrum. To steer the nation in the best way possible, Yoon also should replace his Cabinet of acolytes with a bipartisan group. Otherwise, the moment of truth will come for voters to decide whether to pressure their representatives to start the impeachment process. They cannot afford to leave the nation’s future in the hands of someone who is raving incompetent during the promised turmoil of Trump 2.0.

Lee Kyong-hee

Lee Kyong-hee is a former editor-in-chief of The Korea Herald. The views expressed here are the writer's own. -- Ed.