South Korea’s new acting president, Choi Sang-mok, steps into an unprecedentedly precarious role as the country’s third leader in less than a month, following the impeachments of both President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

Choi, a seasoned technocrat with decades of experience in economic policymaking, now bears the burden of managing a country reeling from its worst aviation disaster in years, a depreciating currency and severe political instability.