Lee Jae-myung elected South Korea’s President after martial law turmoil

Seoul: Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected President on Wednesday after months of turmoil surrounding the impeachment and ouster of his former opponent over a botched attempt to impose martial law.

Lee’s win was a remarkable comeback after having lost to former President Yoon Suk Yeol by a razor-thin margin of less than 1 percentage point in the previous election in 2022.

While Yoon’s attempt to impose martial law in December paved the way for Lee’s rise to the presidency, it also deepened the nation’s political divide and increased the challenges posed by everything from the United States’ tariff policies to North Korea’s advancing nuclear weapons program, reports Yonhap news agency.

With all votes counted, Lee of the liberal DP won 49.42 per cent of the votes, compared with 41.15 per cent for his conservative People Power Party (PPP) rival Kim Moon-soo.

Lee garnered 17.3 million votes, beating Kim by 2.9 million votes and capturing the highest number of votes in a presidential election, surpassing Yoon’s 16.39 million votes in the 2022 election.

In a speech in Seoul’s Yeouido, home to the National Assembly, Lee promised to “overcome the insurrection” and ensure there is no “military coup,” a reference to Yoon’s attempt to impose martial law.

“I will fulfil my mission of creating a world where democracy is restored and the people are respected as sovereign in a democratic republic while living together in cooperation with each other,” he said on a stage where he was joined by his wife, Kim Hye-kyung. (IANS)

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