South Korea chooses Lee Jae-Myung of the Democratic Party as president following the former leader

Seoul, South Korea -The candidate of Democratic Party Lee Jae-Myung was elected president of South Korea in a rapid election caused by the accusation of the former leader of the country, Yoon Suk Yeol. As of early Wednesday, Lee had an advantage over his conservative rival Kim Moon-Soo that was mathematically impossible to overcome.

Kim admitted the race, telling journalists that “humbly accepts the choice of the people” and gave Lee congratulations.

Lee did not formally claim the victory when he appeared before the supporters of the capital of the nation, repeating his objectives to revitalize the economy and unite the country.

“Let’s advance with hope and start from this moment,” he said. “Although we may have faced for some time, even those who did not support us remain our fellow citizens of the Republic of Korea.”

An impressive 77.8% of the country’s eligible voters appeared in the voting stations on Tuesday to cast their vote. It was the greatest participation ever seen in a Korean election, and the country’s media had said that the exit surveys did a read of Lee, almost safe after the vote ended.

Kim had recently served as Minister of Employment and Labor in the cabinet of former President Yoon, who was accused About his Brief but shocking imposition of martial law At the end of last year.

Lee’s Democratic Party has been the main opposition party for several years, but with the victory of
The Presidency of South Korea, the Democrats are in the control of both the Executive Power and the Parliament, where they already have most of the seats, for the first time since 2022.

There has been no elected president since Yoon was accused at the end of last year, so there will be no formal transition period. The opening ceremony of the 21 president of South Korea will take place on Wednesday, only a few hours after the final votes were cast.

The South Koreans filled the streets around the buildings of the central government in Seoul in December after Yoon suddenly declared martial law. He said that the draconian measure was necessary given the level of political division in South Korea, and claiming that communist forces threatened public peace and security.

But Yoon’s definition of an enemy in changed, since he first said that the communists who infiltrate South Korea’s policy were North Koreans, but then he said that it was the Chinese influence that justified his declaration of martial law.

Many South Korean young people brightened, and came out in force in front of Parliament, urging legislators to accuse Yoon, who maintained significant support, particularly among the major and right voters.

His enormous political commitment to the declaration of martial law, and his subsequent refusal to leave office after his political trial, is widely considered that he transferred many voters to Lee and the Democratic Party.

Yoon beat Lee in the last presidential elections in 2022, but by a thin margin of shaving of only 247,077 votes.

Who is Lee Jae-Myung, the new South Korean leader?

Lee is a veteran politician with 20 years of experience as an elected official.

He will trust that experience to help him navigate the struggle of power between the closest ally of South Korea, the United States and his neighbor China, while Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping participate in a commercial war that has affected global markets.

Lee promised before the elections that he would work to further develop the relationship between the United States and South Korea “in a comprehensive strategic alliance and future -oriented.”

Lee also promised “stable management of Korea-China relations, the promotion of Korea-Russia diplomacy” and to prioritize the national interests of South Korea.

He has promised to invest up to 100 billion wones (around $ 73 billion) to finance artificial intelligence work in the country, with the aim of southern Korea one of the three main global powers of AI.

But Lee has offered little on the path of firm and specific commitments, and many South Koreans still were not clear about what type of diplomatic policies could adopt when taking the highest position in the country.

Before South Korea descended to the internal political chaos at the end of 2024, the former conservative government had taken a hard line in the isolated regime of North Korea and Kim Jong Un, feeding greater tension on the very militarized border of the two countries.

Lee assumes the position against multiple criminal cases, including a real estate development scandal of $ 1 billion, alleged illegal remittances sent to North Korea and the alleged misuse of government credit cards.

The presidents of South Korea have a significant degree of immunity of criminal prosecution, although not for charges of betrayal or insurrection.

The Association press contributed to this report.

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