South Korea to name liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung president after post-martial law vote
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The news: Liberal opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung is set to become South Korea’s next president after conservative rival Kim Moon Soo conceded defeat and exit polls projected a decisive win for Lee.
The numbers: With 80% of ballots counted, Lee led with 48.3% to Kim’s 42.9%, while a joint exit poll by three broadcasters projected Lee at 51.7%, and his main conservative rival on 39.3%.
Nearly 80% of the country’s 44.4 million eligible voters cast ballots, one of the highest presidential election turnouts since 1997.
The context: Exit polls in South Korea have a strong record of aligning closely with final results, including accurately predicting the 2022 presidential race, when Lee narrowly lost by less than one percentage point.
The election follows the ouster of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law last December, which triggered months of political turmoil.
Once the result is confirmed, Lee will be sworn in immediately for a full five-year term.
He will replace acting president Han Duck-soo, who stepped in after Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached over his declaration of martial law.
What they said: Kim Moon Soo congratulated Lee Jae-myung saying he “humbly accepts the people’s choice.”
Lee told supporters: “If this result is confirmed, I pay my deepest respects to the great decision of the people,” Lee said.
He pledged to unify the country, and vowed to restore inter-Korean ties, with deterrence, dialogue and co-existence guiding his approach to North Korea.
Vowing that martial law would never happen again, he called Yoon’s actions an insurrection attempt and promised to “revive the economy and people’s livelihoods” from day one.
The sources: Associated Press, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal
