Lee Jae-myung becomes South Korea's new president: Voters' choice in presidential election is a change of government

South Korea's presidential election was held on the 3rd, and Lee Jae-myung (60), the leader of the largest progressive opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, was declared the winner. With the election results finalized, Lee became the 21st president.
The new administration was the first in three years to take over from the current progressive government. The presidential election was held following the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, who declared "emergency martial law" in December last year.
With this in mind, Ri said in his speech before the crowd, "The first mission you have entrusted to me is to overcome the civil war and ensure that no military coup ever again takes place, threatening our people with bayonets."
The term is five years, running until 2030. In addition to Lee, other candidates running in this presidential election are Kim Moon-soo from the conservative ruling party People Power Party and Lee Jun-seok from the conservative opposition party Reform New Party.
The biggest issue was how to evaluate the Yoon administration, which declared "emergency martial law." Lee characterized the ruling party, the People Power Party, which supported former President Yoon, who declared "emergency martial law," as a "force of insurrection" and called for its support in the election.
During the election, he emphasized that "this election is a trial for the forces of insurgency that have attempted to destroy the constitutional order," and called for "creating a country where military coups that point guns at the people will not be repeated."
He pledged to restore the economy, foster the AI (artificial intelligence) industry, and support employment for young people. Lee maintained a lead in the approval ratings of the candidates in various opinion polls throughout the election, and advanced in the election with an advantage.
In order to counter Kim, the People Power Party tried to unite Kim with the New Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok, but it was unsuccessful. After the votes were counted, Lee Jae-myung was declared the winner, and he became the 21st president.
He took office. It is the first time in three years since 2022 that a progressive government has been born in South Korea. Speaking to his supporters, Lee said, "I respect the great decision of the people. I will not disappoint the great responsibility and mission that has been given to me.
"I will do my best to avoid this," he said. However, once Lee's victory became certain, Kim declared defeat, saying, "I will humbly accept the people's choice."
Lee is a former member of Andong County (now Andong City) in North Gyeongsang Province in the southeast.
After graduating from elementary school, he worked as a boy factory worker while passing the exams to graduate from middle school and high school. In 1986, he graduated from Chung-Ang University in South Korea and became a lawyer. He then lived in Seoul, near the city of Kyodo.
He served as mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province from July 2007 to March 2018, and then as governor of Gyeonggi Province from July 2018 to October 2021.
In the election, he fought a fierce battle with former President Yoon until the very end, but lost by a narrow margin of about 240,000 votes. After that, he became the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and was at the forefront of criticizing the Yoon administration.
He has continued to make such remarks. He has also repeatedly criticized the Yoon administration's stance of building a friendly relationship with Japan as "humiliating diplomacy." However, he has recently stopped making "hardline" remarks against Japan.
In the video, he mentioned Japan-South Korea relations and said, "I really want to be friends with Japan," indicating his desire to promote cooperation with Japan in areas such as cultural exchange and the economy.
Regarding the presidential election, South Korean news agency Yonhap News reported, "In the South Korean presidential election, voters will be able to choose the 'emergency martial law' of former President Yoon Seok-yeol.
"He held them responsible for the chaos that followed after the declaration," he said, "Three years ago, in the presidential election held in 2022, he rejected the progressive Moon Jae-in administration and launched the conservative Yoon administration, but he was on high alert.
"The election ended with the victory of Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, the largest progressive opposition party, but the public opinion was harsh, deciding on two changes of government in eight years," he concluded.
The results were also reported by foreign media. Kyodo News said, "The public backlash against Yoon's declaration of 'emergency martial law' in December last year was a driving force behind his election," and added, "Ri is keen to promote Japan-Korea relations, but his support base is not very strong."
"President Lee has taken a tough stance on Japan, and the future of relations between the two countries is unclear," he said, expressing concern about the future. Bloomberg reported that, "It seems that Lee won a solid victory, but (the Democratic Party of Japan) probably did not want to
"However, since his party holds more than half of the parliament, he will likely have a stronger hand than former President Yoon.
Normally, a new president takes office after a transition period of about two months, but since this is not a presidential election due to the expiration of a term, Lee said he will be able to take office after the election.
With the results of the election now finalized, he has already begun his term, with his inauguration ceremony taking place today, the 4th, in the National Diet.