South Korea’s liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung was projected to win the country’s snap election, which took place six months after the crisis triggered by the country’s since-impeached former president.
Kim Moon-soo, the conservative candidate of the People Power Party, told a news conference he had called Lee to congratulate him on the victory.
Lee, the Democratic Party candidate, had accumulated 48 per cent of the votes with 73 per cent of ballots counted, to 42.9 per cent for Kim.
Earlier exit polls by multiple Korean broadcast companies presaged the outcome, putting Lee on target to win 50 or 51 per cent of the vote.
“I will do my best to fulfil the great responsibilities and duties given to me so as not to contradict the expectations of the Korean people. Thank you,” Lee said on live TV outside his home, wearing a bright blue tie, as supporters cheered around him.
Around 78 per cent of South Korea’s 44.39 million eligible citizens had cast ballots in early voting and over 14 hours on election day at nearly 14,300 polling stations, according to the National Election Commission.
The National Election Commission is the body responsible for certifying the result, with the winner’s inauguration expected within hours of that declaration.
Voters hope for stability
Kim was the labour minister in the government of Yoon Suk Yeol, the president who in other circumstances could have served a full term until a 2027 election. But Yoon — a former public prosecutor — declared martial law on Dec. 3, though his attempt at military rule was quickly quashed by widespread protests.
After being impeached by parliament in December, Yoon was removed from office by the Constitutional Court on April 4, less than three years into his five-year term, triggering the snap election that now stands to remake South Korea’s political leadership and foreign policies.
The winner must tackle challenges including a society deeply scarred by divisions made more obvious since the attempt at military rule, and an export-heavy economy reeling from unpredictable protectionist moves by the United States, a major trading partner and security ally.
“I hope the issues surrounding martial law are addressed more clearly and transparently,” said 40-year-old Seoul resident Kim Yong-Hyun. “There are still many things that don’t make sense, and I’d like to see them properly resolved.”
Lee had called the election “judgment day” against the previous Yoon administration and the conservative People Power Party, accusing them of having condoned the martial law attempt by not fighting harder to thwart it and even trying to save Yoon’s presidency.
“Only six golden hours are left to save South Korea, which is in crisis due to the greed of the establishment,” Lee said as he urged people to vote in a Facebook post.
Both Lee and Kim pledged change for the country, saying a political system and economic model set up during its rise as a budding democracy and industrial power are no longer fit for purpose.
Their proposals for investment in innovation and technology often overlap, but Lee advocates more equity and help for mid-to low-income families, while Kim has campaigned on giving businesses more freedom from regulations and labour strife.
Overshadowing any social policy initiatives, however, was Yoon’s brief attempt to impose martial law, which has loomed large over the poll.
Kim has branded Lee a “dictator” and his Democratic Party a “monster,” warning if the former human rights lawyer becomes president, nothing will stop them from working together to amend laws simply because they do not like them.
“I and the People Power Party will do our best to save people’s livelihoods and the economy,” Kim said in a Facebook post.
Both Lee and Kim cast their ballots during early voting last week.
Regular voters in Seoul urged the next leader to ease discord, restore stability and address urgent challenges from the fallout of the crisis that has touched their families.
“The economy has gotten so much worse since December 3, not just for me but I hear that from everybody,” Kim Kwang-ma, 81, said. “And we as a people have become so polarized … I wish we could come together so that Korea can develop again.”
In the past 24 hours, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, only for his decision to be unanimously rejected by a parliamentary vote. Andrew Chang explains the turmoil that led to the president’s declaration, and what it says about the state of South Korean politics.
Images supplied by Reuters and Getty Images.
