Yoon's impeachment Widens East Asia fault lines

The turmoil in Seoul, the weakest government in decades in Tokyo and Donald Trump's return to power in Washington mean a brief moment of coordination is coming to an end at the worst possible time.

- Gearoid Reidy

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, impeached at the second time of asking, was always more popular abroad than at home.

Just over a year ago, he was holding hands with Japan's former prime minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden at a historic trilateral summit at Camp David in the US; a few months before that, Mr. Yoon was feted at the White House, serenading Mr. Biden with a rendition of Don McLean's classic song American Pie and crooning about "the day the music died".

After his botched attempt to declare martial law, few will write wistful ditties about the day his presidency died. But there is something to regret: With it, the region risks losing an important trilateral relationship at the worst possible time.

Mr. Yoon's bridge-building with Tokyo was politically unwise, but nonetheless the right move. It led to the Camp David meeting and what seemed a new age of ties. Just in November, the three countries formed a permanent secretariat aimed at future-proofing their relationship against changes in leadership.

The near-term target was no doubt US President-elect Donald Trump more than Mr. Yoon, who still had half his term remaining.

With Mr. Yoon now in limbo as South Korea's Constitutional Court reviews his case following his baffling brief declaration of martial law, rocky days are ahead for a three-way partnership that's more important than ever in an increasingly unstable region.