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Seoul, South Korea – The candidate of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae-Myung, was elected president of South Korea during an early election triggered by the dismissal of the former head of the country, YOON SUK YEOL. Since early Wednesday, Lee had an advance on his conservative rival Kim Moon-Soo which was mathematically impossible to exceed.
Kim conceded the race, telling journalists that he “humbly accepts the choice of the people” and congratulated Lee.
Lee did not officially claim victory when he appeared earlier before the supporters of the national capital, repeating his objectives to invigorate the economy and unite the country.
“Let’s move on with Hope and take a new start from that moment,” he said. “Although we may have faced for a while, even those who have not supported us are always our fellow citizens of the Republic of Korea.”
An impressive 77.8% of the country’s eligible voters were revealed in the polling stations on Tuesday to vote. It was the highest participation rate never seen during a Korean election, and the country’s media had declared that exit polls won a LEE victory, everything except after the vote.
Kim had recently been Minister of Employment and Labor in the office of former president Yoon, who was indictment above his Brief but shocking taxation of martial law at the end of last year.
The Lee Democratic Party has been the main opposition party for several years, but with the victory of
South Korean presidency, the Democrats find themselves in the control of the Executive Branch and the Parliament, where they already have a majority of seats, for the first time since 2022.
Reuters / Kim Hong-ji 
There has not been an elected president in power since Yoon was dismissed at the end of last year, there will therefore be no official transition period. The inauguration ceremony for the 21st president of South Korea is expected to be held on Wednesday, just a few hours after launching the final votes.
The South Koreans filled the streets of the central government’s buildings 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 the definition of Yoon of an enemy inside has changed, as he first said that the Communists infiltrating South Korean politics were North Koreans, but then declared that it was a Chinese influence which justified his declaration of martial law.
Many young South Koreans have bristled, and they came out in force before the Parliament, urging the legislators to descend Yoon, which has maintained significant support, especially among older and right-wing voters.
His enormous political bet with the declaration of martial law and his subsequent refusal to leave functions following his dismissal, is largely considered to have moved many voters in Lee and to the Democratic Party.
Yoon beat Lee in the last presidential election in 2022, but by a thin margin like 247,077 votes.
Who is Lee Jae-Myung, the new head of South Korea?
Lee is a veteran politician with 20 years of experience as elected.
He will rely on this experience to help him sail in the power struggle between the ally closest to South Korea, the United States and his neighbor China, while Trump and Xi Jinping presidents are committed to a business war that affected the world markets.
Lee swore before the elections he would work to further develop the American-Korean relationship “in a complete and future strategic alliance.”
Daniel Ceng / Anadolu via Getty Images 
Lee also promised a “stable management of Korean-Chinese relations, the promotion of Korean-Russia diplomacy” and to prioritize the national interests of South Korea.
He has promised to invest up to 100 won billions (around $ 73 billion) to finance artificial intelligence work in the country, aimed at making South Korea one of the three main world powers in AI.
But Lee offered little of his firm and specific commitments, and many South Koreans are not clear on what type of diplomatic policies he could adopt when he takes the highest post in the country.
Before South Korea became internal political chaos at the end of 2024, the former conservative government had taken a hard line on North Korea and the isolated regime of Kim Jong one, fueling higher tension through the highly militarized border of the two countries.
Lee takes office confronted with several current criminal cases, including a billion dollars real estate development scandal, alleged illegal funds sent to North Korea and the alleged abuse of government credit cards.
The South Korean presidents have an important degree of immunity against criminal proceedings, but not accusations of betrayal or insurrection.
contributed to this report.
