Key U.S. allies in Seoul, Tokyo hit by scandals, plunging polls

In a region overshadowed by China and North Korea, Washington has been keen to encourage the new cooperative spirit currently uniting Seoul and Tokyo, enabling the trilateralism U.S. defense planners have so long sought to project in the region.

The voters in America’s two key East Asian allies, however, are far less pleased with their leaders these days. As both China and North Korea test American interests and allies across East Asia, the high hopes President Biden expressed at a precedent-breaking summit of the three leaders in Camp David in August could be sorely tested in the coming months.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is reeling from a succession of party scandals, while South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is facing fallout from questions over his wife’s behavior. Both are facing dangerously low approval ratings, but it is the South Korean leader who looks more vulnerable.