Seoul Tragedy Pressures President Yoon to Show He Can Lead
- Crowd crush during Halloween festivities left over 150 dead
- Yoon’s approval level has dropped since entering office in May
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s handling of a deadly crowd surge that killed more than 150 people will give him a chance to prove to critics he can lead, or hand his opponents more fodder to paint his administration as incompetent.
Yoon convened emergency meetings just hours after the crush occurred late Saturday night in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon, where tens of thousands were celebrating Halloween. He quickly pledged medical and financial support to victims and their families, and vowed there would be thorough investigations and reviews of safety measures to prevent similar tragedies.