Lee Jae-Myung, South Korea's liberal party candidate, has been elected president in Tuesday's snap election, six months to the day after he evaded military cordons to vote against a shock martial law decree imposed by his ousted predecessor. Lee's victory stands to usher in a political sea change in Asia's fourth-largest economy, after the backlash against the martial law brought down Yoon Suk Yeol, the conservative outsider who narrowly beat Lee in the 2022 election.
With more than 99 per cent of the votes counted, the Democratic Party's Lee stood at 49.3 per cent to PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo's 41.3 per cent, according to National Election Commission data. Nearly 80 per cent of South Korea's 44.39 million eligible voters cast their ballots, the highest turnout for a presidential election in the country since 1997, with Lee terming the polls "judgment day" against Yoon's martial law and the People Power Party's failure to distance itself from that decision.
After losing by a razor-thin margin in 2022, the left-leaning Democratic Party candidate is now set to take office Wednesday after winning a landslide victory.
Lawsuits, scandals, armed troops and a knife-wielding attacker all failed to deter 60-year-old Lee Jae-myung's ascendancy from sweatshop worker to the South Korean presidency. Opponents decry Lee for his populist style. But his rags-to-riches personal story sets him apart from many of South Korea's political elite.
After dropping out of school to work at a factory to support his family, he suffered a disabling elbow injury in an industrial accident. He earned a scholarship to study law and passed the bar to become an attorney. Lee has used this origin story to cultivate a loyal support base and frame himself as understanding the struggles of the underprivileged.
Lee previously served as mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, for eight years. In that role, he helped shut down what had been the country's largest dog meat market -- ending a trade that had once involved 80,000 canines a year.
He later served as governor of Gyeonggi Province -- the country's most populous region surrounding the capital -- for more than three years.
In 2024, he was stabbed in the neck by a man posing as a supporter and was airlifted to hospital for emergency surgery. The attacker later confessed that his intention was to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president.
Lee has vowed, among other things, to boost South Korea's artificial intelligence industry, with the goal of making the country one of the top three global leaders in the field.
Lee has been married to Kim Hye-Kyung for 34 years and shares two children.
Lee has been dogged by legal troubles of his own, including allegations of corruption tied to a real estate development and violations of election law through the dissemination of false information.
He has denied any wrongdoing, insisting the charges are politically motivated. In early May, Seoul's Supreme Court overturned a lower court's acquittal of Lee on election law charges and ordered a retrial.
But with the election looming, the Seoul High Court postponed the proceedings until after the June 3 vote. With Lee's victory, legal experts say the proceedings are set to be suspended due to presidential immunity, and only resume after his single five-year term ends in 2030.
Lee's opponents had argued the charges were serious enough to disqualify him from running.
Q1. Who is South Korea's President?
A1. Lee Jae-Myung, South Korea's liberal party candidate, has been elected president in Tuesday's snap election.
Q2. What are South Korea election results?
A2. With more than 99 per cent of the votes counted, the Democratic Party's Lee stood at 49.3 per cent to PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo's 41.3 per cent, according to National Election Commission data. Nearly 80 per cent of South Korea's 44.39 million eligible voters cast their ballots, the highest turnout for a presidential election in the country since 1997.
With more than 99 per cent of the votes counted, the Democratic Party's Lee stood at 49.3 per cent to PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo's 41.3 per cent, according to National Election Commission data. Nearly 80 per cent of South Korea's 44.39 million eligible voters cast their ballots, the highest turnout for a presidential election in the country since 1997, with Lee terming the polls "judgment day" against Yoon's martial law and the People Power Party's failure to distance itself from that decision.
After losing by a razor-thin margin in 2022, the left-leaning Democratic Party candidate is now set to take office Wednesday after winning a landslide victory.
Lawsuits, scandals, armed troops and a knife-wielding attacker all failed to deter 60-year-old Lee Jae-myung's ascendancy from sweatshop worker to the South Korean presidency. Opponents decry Lee for his populist style. But his rags-to-riches personal story sets him apart from many of South Korea's political elite.
After dropping out of school to work at a factory to support his family, he suffered a disabling elbow injury in an industrial accident. He earned a scholarship to study law and passed the bar to become an attorney. Lee has used this origin story to cultivate a loyal support base and frame himself as understanding the struggles of the underprivileged.
Lee previously served as mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, for eight years. In that role, he helped shut down what had been the country's largest dog meat market -- ending a trade that had once involved 80,000 canines a year.
He later served as governor of Gyeonggi Province -- the country's most populous region surrounding the capital -- for more than three years.
In 2024, he was stabbed in the neck by a man posing as a supporter and was airlifted to hospital for emergency surgery. The attacker later confessed that his intention was to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president.
Lee has vowed, among other things, to boost South Korea's artificial intelligence industry, with the goal of making the country one of the top three global leaders in the field.
Lee has been married to Kim Hye-Kyung for 34 years and shares two children.
Lee has been dogged by legal troubles of his own, including allegations of corruption tied to a real estate development and violations of election law through the dissemination of false information.
He has denied any wrongdoing, insisting the charges are politically motivated. In early May, Seoul's Supreme Court overturned a lower court's acquittal of Lee on election law charges and ordered a retrial.
But with the election looming, the Seoul High Court postponed the proceedings until after the June 3 vote. With Lee's victory, legal experts say the proceedings are set to be suspended due to presidential immunity, and only resume after his single five-year term ends in 2030.
Lee's opponents had argued the charges were serious enough to disqualify him from running.
FAQs
Q1. Who is South Korea's President?
A1. Lee Jae-Myung, South Korea's liberal party candidate, has been elected president in Tuesday's snap election.
Q2. What are South Korea election results?
A2. With more than 99 per cent of the votes counted, the Democratic Party's Lee stood at 49.3 per cent to PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo's 41.3 per cent, according to National Election Commission data. Nearly 80 per cent of South Korea's 44.39 million eligible voters cast their ballots, the highest turnout for a presidential election in the country since 1997.
