Seoul, South Korea – Seoul, South Korea (AP) – Lee Jae-Myungthat came out of child poverty to become the main liberal politician of South Korea, promising to fight inequality and corruption, will become the next president of the country on Wednesday after A choice That closed one of the most turbulent chapters of the young democracy.
Lee, 60, the candidate of the Democratic Party of the Liberal Opposition, is assuming the position for a complete term of five years. Yoon Suk Yeol, A conservative who was shot down by his impressive but brief imposition of martial law in December.
It was not clear if Lee’s choice would cause some important and immediate change in the foreign policy of South Korea. Lee, previously accused of critics of leaning towards China and North Korea and far from the United States and Japan, has repeatedly emphasized the South Korean alliance with the United States as the basis of its foreign policy.
The most difficult external challenges waiting for Lee are the president of the United States Donald Trump’s tariff policy and The North Korea Advanced Nuclear Program. But experts said before that whoever becomes president cannot do much to ensure great progress in South Korea’s favor on these issues.
From 3:45 AM on Wednesday, with more than 99% of the votes counted, Lee obtained 49.3% of the votes cast in the early elections on Tuesday, while the main conservative conservative Kim Moon Soo followed 41.3%, a gap that was impossible to overcome mathematically.
Pre -election surveys have suggested for a long time that reads seemed to go to an easy victory, with a deep public frustration by conservatives following the debacle of Yoon’s martial law.
Even before Lee’s victory was formally declared, Kim admitted, telling journalists that “humbly accepts the election of the people” and congratulated Lee.
Previously, Lee appeared before thousands of followers who cheering in the streets of Seoul. He did not formally claim victory, but reiterated his main political objectives, such as revitalizing the economy, promoting peace with North Korea and relieving an internal division.
“Let’s advance with hope and start a new beginning from this moment,” he said. “Although we can have collided for some time, even those who did not support us remain our fellow citizens of the Republic of Korea.”
Lee, who served as governor of the province of Gyeonggi and mayor of the city of Seongnam, has been very Divisive figure In politics for years.
As a former worker son known for his inspiring story of rags to wealth, Lee went out to fame through criticism of the country’s conservative establishment and calls to build a more assertive southern Korea in foreign policy. That rhetoric has given him an image as someone who can institute radical reforms and fix the deeply entrenched economic inequality and corruption of the country.
His critics see him as a dangerous populist who depends on the political division and goes back the promises too easily.
On foreign policy, Lee has promised to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He has promised to develop the alliance with the United States and solidify a trilateral association of Seoul-Washington-Tokyo, a position that is not very different from the position occupied by the conservatives of South Korea.
“We will have to do if the pressures of the position will make Jae-Myung read from the center, at least when it comes to national security issues and the alliance with the United States,” said Ankit Panda, an expert in Carnegie Doting for international peace.
Lee said he would look for better ties with North Korea, but acknowledged that it would be “very difficult” to celebrate a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong one in the short term. This indicates that Lee will probably not start any drastic step destined to improve relations with North Korea.
Experts say that there are not many diplomatic options for South Korea, since he tries to address Trump’s tariff walks and ask South Korea to pay more for the Cost of US military presenceas well as the search for nuclear weapons of North Korea. Experts say that has made both read and other candidates avoid presenting ambitious foreign policy objectives.
Paik Wooyeal, a professor at the Yansei University of Seoul, said that Lee foreign policy strategies understand that South Korea can do to achieve a denuclearization of North Korea. Paik said that Lee also does not share the Korean nationalist zeal held by the former liberal president Luna Jae-Inwho met Kim Jong a three times during his 2017-22 mandate.
There is still hope that diplomacy between the United States and North Korea can resume, with Trump repeatedly expressing his intention to reach Kim Jong Un. Lee has said that he would support Trump’s reach.
“South Korea and the United States may be better aligned to involve North Korea under the current leadership constellation in both countries,” Panda said. “The two parties must begin the consultations soon to ensure that they are aligned in their objectives.”
Lee’s government could still participate in “a little friction” with the Trump administration, said Chung Jin-Young, former dean of the Pan-Pacific International Studies School at the Kyung Hee University of South Korea.
Chung predicted that read will not yet follow too drastic steps on foreign policy and security, since currency exchanges and the country’s financial markets are vulnerable to such changes.
Lee has preached patience on Trump’s tariff policy, arguing that it would be a mistake to hurry negotiations in search of an early agreement with Washington.
On Monday, the commercial officials of South Korea held an emergency meeting to discuss an response to Trump’s announcement that the The United States will raise tariffs on steel and 50% aluminum products from Wednesday. The Central Bank of South Korea last week sharply reduced its growth prospect from 2025 to 0.8%, citing the potential impact of Trump’s tariff increases and the weak domestic demand worsened by the political agitation of the past months.
The election serves as another decisive moment in the resistant democracy of the country, but observers concern that a worsened domestic division could raise a great political burden for the new president.
The last six months saw large multitude of people who joined to denounce or support Yoon, while a leadership vacuum caused by Yoon’s accusation and consequent Formal dismissal He shook high -level diplomatic activities and the country’s financial markets.
Lee has promised to heal the national division, but his vote of keeping those involved in the trick of Yoon’s martial law has caused concerns that he would use investigations to launch political reprisals against his opponents.
“The following question is how Lee will represent and protect the democracy of South Korea,” said Soo Kim, former CIA Korea analyst and geopolitical risk consultant.
“Will the South Korean policy remain focused on remuneration, or Seoul will finally look beyond this and work constructively and progressive for the best long -term democratic interests in the country?” She said. “It’s a difficult task for Lee.”
