Yoon stumbles in endeavour to improve China ties

President Yoon Suk-yeol decided to go on holiday and skip a face-to-face meeting with the third most powerful person from the closest ally of South Korea. – AP

MORE than a week after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Seoul via Taiwan, political ripples continue here over President Yoon Suk-yeol skipping a face-to-face meeting with the third most powerful person from the closest ally of South Korea.

Was he just acting in serious consideration of national interest amid the deepening power contest between the United States and China, or was it a diplomatic blunder by an inexperienced president who needs more time to master his job, people wonder, mostly with regret.