South Korea: Left candidate wins presidential election

The left politician Lee Jae Myung won the presidential election in South Korea. According to the counting of almost all voices, the opposition politician is clearly ahead of the conservative candidate Kim Moon Soo, according to the official news agency Yonhap. According to Yonhap, 73-year-old Kim had already admitted his election defeat.

According to Yonhap, Lee was initially with 48.4 percent of the votes ahead of Kim, who had received 42.8 percent. At the time, around 88 percent of the votes were counted. The final result is expected in the morning (local time). The turnout was extremely high at 79.4 percent.

The South Koreans voted for a political change of direction. Lee comes from the left opposition camp and is a opponent of the conservative ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, who plunged the East Asian country into a multi-month state crisis at the end of 2024.

In December, Yoon surprisingly imposed the war law that was revived by Parliament a little later. At the beginning of April he was relieved of the office, currently he has to answer for treason. With the president’s new election, who, as head of government and the top commander, has great power powers, the state crisis of the past few months should be finally sealed.

Election winner Lee Jae Myung promises a political beginning. In terms of foreign policy, he supports a diplomatic approach to North Korea and China. Economically, he would like to force a sustainable energy change and strengthen government investments in artificial intelligence and other future technologies. Lee Jae Myung is also considered an advocate of employee interests.

His biography is that of a classic climber. Born as fifth of seven children in bitter poverty, his father only registered him with a clear delay with the authorities. His exact date of birth is therefore unknown: According to the official information, Lee is 60 years old, but some media assume 61 years.

As a teenager, Lee Jae Myung worked in factories to make a living. He suffered several injuries; Including a broken wrist, which led to a sustainable disability. Lee Jae Myung later made a name for himself as a human rights lawyer and put a steep career as a politician. He served as governor of the South Korean province of Gyeonggi by 2021.

Despite its popularity in the left camp, Lee Jae Myung is by no means undisputed. The new President of South Korea had to struggle with legal scandals until the end. Lee almost cost his presidential candidacy for violations of violations of the right to vote.

Now, as head of state, he is facing huge challenges. In the first quarter, the South Korean gross domestic product surprisingly shrank by 0.2 percent, and the threatened tariffs of US President Donald Trump cloud the economic prospects of the export nation. South Korean society is also heavily divided in terms of domestic policies. The cracks run between the ideological camps, generations and genders.