Protests have returned to the streets of Seoul.
It is just three years on from the massive candlelight
revolution which led to the downfall and imprisonment
of former President Park.
And now, the current leader Moon Jae-in
has found himself in the biggest political fight
of his presidency.
The controversial pick of the man
he wanted to be justice minister backfired and caused outrage
among opposition groups, as the minister's own family became
embroiled in the corruption scandal.
The export dependent economy in South Korea
is now facing rising headwinds from
the global economic slowdown and a longer than expected downturn
for the country's critical computer chip makers.
The US-China trade war and a simmering dispute
between Seoul and Tokyo is adding further pressure,
forcing the Bank of Korea to cut interest rates to record lows,
and prompting the government to push
for the biggest fiscal stimulus since the financial crisis.
Mr Moon's hallmark policy of seeking engagement
with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un
in a bid to bring about peace on the Korean peninsula
has also hit roadblocks, with the North Koreans returning
to regular weapons tests and talks over denuclearisation,
once again looking like they are in a deadlock.
With the South Korean president's approval ratings
plunging to record lows and elections
in the parliament looming in April 2020,
fears are rising from some quarters
that Mr Moon could become a lame duck president,
and his ability to continue to push for engagement with North
Korea might, too, become dead in the water.