SEOUL — Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected
President on Wednesday after months of turmoil surrounding the impeachment and
ouster of his former opponent over a botched attempt to impose martial law.
Lee's win was a remarkable comeback after having lost to
former President Yoon Suk Yeol by a razor-thin margin of less than 1 percentage
point in the previous election in 2022.
While Yoon's attempt to impose martial law in December
paved the way for Lee's rise to the presidency, it also deepened the nation's
political divide and increased the challenges posed by everything from the
United States' tariff policies to North Korea's advancing nuclear weapons
program, reports Yonhap news agency.
With all votes counted, Lee of the liberal DP won 49.42
per cent of the votes, compared with 41.15 per cent for his conservative People
Power Party (PPP) rival Kim Moon-soo.
Lee garnered 17.3 million votes, beating Kim by 2.9
million votes and capturing the highest number of votes in a presidential
election, surpassing Yoon's 16.39 million votes in the 2022 election.
In a speech in Seoul's Yeouido, home to the National
Assembly, Lee promised to "overcome the insurrection" and ensure
there is no "military coup," a reference to Yoon's attempt to impose
martial law.
"I will fulfil my mission of creating a world where
democracy is restored and the people are respected as sovereign in a democratic
republic while living together in cooperation with each other," he said on
a stage where he was joined by his wife, Kim Hye-kyung.
"The moment I am confirmed as the president-elect, I
will put all of my strength into reviving the economy and recovering people's
livelihoods," he added.
PPP candidate Kim conceded defeat in a press conference
at his party's headquarters, saying he "humbly accepts the people's
choice" and congratulated Lee on his election.
Thanking the people for their support, he credited their
strength for the advances the country continued to make in the face of crisis.
Lee Jae-myung elected South Korea's President after martial
The election took place exactly six months after Yoon
declared martial law in a surprise announcement that evoked dark memories of
past military regimes and plunged the nation into the worst economic and
political crisis in decades.
Lee campaigned on a pledge to overcome the
"insurrection forces" led by Yoon in the wake of his impeachment and
removal from office less than three years into his five-year term.
Kim seized on Lee's many ongoing trials and aggressive
leadership style to promise a future free of "dictatorship."
As an exit poll projected Lee's victory by a 12.4
percentage point margin, DP campaign officials and leaders erupted in applause
and cheers inside the situation room set up at the National Assembly.
"I believe the sovereign people have passed a severe
judgment on the insurrection regime," Rep. Park Chan-dae, the DP election
committee leader, told KBS.
PPP officials, in contrast, were visibly disappointed as
their hopes for an upset victory appeared unlikely to materialize.
"I expected us to be slightly behind or slightly
ahead within the margin of error and it's very disappointing that there was
such a large gap," Rep. Na Kyung-won, a PPP election committee co-chief,
told KBS. "It's coming across as quite a shock."
Of the total 44.39 million eligible voters nationwide,
some 35.24 million, or 79.4 per cent, had cast their ballots, the highest rate
since the 1997 election when the turnout came to 80.7 per cent, according to
the National Election Commission (NEC).
The provisional tally counted the votes cast at 14,295
polling stations across the country, during two days of early voting, as well
as overseas, shipboard and absentee ballots.
Voter interest was keen in the snap election, as 34.74
per cent of the registered voters had already cast their ballots in the early
voting held on Thursday and Friday, the second-highest figure since early
voting was introduced in 2014.
Vote counting began soon after polls closed at 8 p.m. and
was completed around 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to the NEC.
After completing the vote count, the NEC convened a
plenary meeting to confirm Lee's victory.
As the election was held early to replace Yoon, Lee took
office immediately without a transition period.
The inauguration ceremony is expected to take place later
in the day at the National Assembly.
A total of five candidates vied for the nation's top
political office after two dropped out during the campaign.
Aside from Lee and Kim, they were Lee Jun-seok of the New
Reform Party, Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party and Song Jin-ho, an
independent.
Surveys conducted before the blackout on all nationwide
polls last week showed the DP's Lee maintaining a comfortable lead of around 10
percentage points over Kim, although the gap had narrowed from earlier.
Support for Lee was in the 40 per cent range, followed by
30-something per cent for Kim and around 10 per cent for Lee Jun-seok.
Both Lee and Kim made economic growth their No. 1
campaign promise, with an emphasis on nurturing the artificial intelligence
industry.
On security issues, Lee vowed to pursue
"pragmatic" diplomacy in response to the changing global order, while
Kim stressed building deterrence against North Korea's nuclear threats.
Lee and Kim agreed on the need to revise the Constitution
to replace the current single five-year presidential term with a four-year,
two-term system.
Kim pledged to cut short his own term to three years to
align the president's term with those of National Assembly members beginning in
2028.
Lee, however, called for holding a referendum on
amendments to the Constitution and applying the changes starting in 2030.
While the two main contenders cast their ballots during
the early voting period, other major political figures voted on Election Day.
Former President Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, cast
their ballots at a polling station in southern Seoul.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik voted at a polling
station in northern Seoul, saying he hopes the nation overcomes the political
"chaos" and moves toward a "democratic society" through the
election.
