South Korea Elects Lee Jae-myung As New President

Human rights lawyer and liberal Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae Myung has been elected President of South Korea in a snap election held on Tuesday, following the brief and turbulent imposition of martial law in the nation. The election was triggered when the country was grappling with deep unrest and political divisions caused by the then-President Yoon Suk Yeol's repressive martial law declaration.

In December 2024, Yoon declared emergency military rule in South Korea under the pretext of combating "anti-nation forces", which restricted all political activities and suspended civil rights. Public backlash swiftly escalated with the opposition Democratic Party leading calls for Yoon's impeachment. Yoon's own party, the People Power Party, ultimately supported his removal. He was apprehended by the anti-corruption investigators at his presidential compound in Seoul and later convicted by the Constitutional Court for inciting insurrections and abuse of power.

With the presidency vacant for nearly six months, the early election saw nearly 50% of the vote, which resulted in Lee's victory. A prominent political leader, Lee Jae Myung survived a near-fatal stabbing last year and drew public attention for scaling the National Assembly wall to vote down martial law when Yoon's military blocked access. Prior to his presidential bid, he served as mayor of Seongnam in southern Seoul for eight years, followed by three years as governor of Gyeonggi Province, facing allegations of corruption and bribery. In his victory speech, he vowed to restore democratic values, unify the nation and strengthen a trilateral alliance with the US and Japan. Declaring himself "the president of all the people", he assured citizens that the military rule will never again threaten South Korea's democracy.