South Korea’s president denies wrongdoing in a growing scandal

Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president has denied wrongdoing over a burgeoning influence-peddling scandal involving him and his wife. Already, the rumors are severely hurting his approval ratings and providing political munition to his political rivals. The scandal centers around allegations that President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee meddled in the ruling party’s nomination of a candidate to run for a parliamentary by-election in 2022. Yoon told reporters Thursday that he didn’t do anything inappropriate and had nothing to hide. Recent surveys show Yoon’s approval rating fell below 20% for the first time since his inauguration.