South Korea’s Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung speaks to supporters outside of the National Assembly in Seoul on June 4, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP
South Korea’s liberal opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected President early on Wednesday (June 4, 2025, KST), a victory that would cap months of political turmoil triggered by the stunning but brief imposition of martial law by now-ousted conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol.
It was unclear whether Mr. Lee’s election would cause any major, immediate shift in South Korea’s foreign policy. Mr. Lee, previously accused by critics of tilting toward China and North Korea and away from the U.S. and Japan, has repeatedly stressed South Korea’s alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of its foreign policy.
The toughest external challenges awaiting a new president are U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. But experts say whoever becomes President can’t do much to secure major progress in South Korea’s favor on those issues.
With nearly 95% of ballots counted as of 2.40 a.m. KRT on Wednesday (June 4, 2025), Mr. Lee, the Democratic Party candidate, led with 48.86% of votes. The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, had 41.98%.
The exit poll by South Korea’s three major television stations — KBS, MBC and SBS — earlier showed Mr. Lee projected to obtain 51.7% of total votes cast, beating Mr. Kim with 39.3%. Pre-election surveys suggested Mr. Lee appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Mr. Yoon’s martial law debacle.
Even before Mr. Lee’s win was formally declared, Mr. Kim conceded, telling journalists he “humbly accepts the people’s choice” and congratulated Mr. Lee.
Earlier, Mr. Lee appeared before thousands of cheering supporters in the streets of Seoul. He didn’t formally claim victory but reiterated his major policy goals such as revitalizing the economy, promoting peace with North Korea and easing a domestic divide.
“Let us move forward with hope and make a fresh start from this moment on,” he said. “Though we may have clashed for some time, even those who did not support us are still our fellow citizens of the Republic of Korea.”
The winning candidate will immediately be sworn in as president on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) for a single, full term of five years without the typical two-month transition period.
Mr. Lee, who served as Governor of Gyeonggi Province and mayor of Seongnam city, has been a highly divisive figure in politics for years.
As a former child labourer known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story, Mr. Lee came to fame through biting criticism of the country’s conservative establishment and calls to build a more assertive South Korea in foreign policy. That rhetoric has given him an image as someone who can institute sweeping reforms and fix the country’s deep-seated economic inequality and corruption.
His critics view him as a dangerous populist who relies on political division and backpedals on promises too easily.
On foreign policy, Mr. Lee has has vowed to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He has promised to solidify a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership, a stance that isn’t much different from the position held by South Korea’s conservatives.
He said he would pursue better ties with North Korea but acknowledged that it would be “very difficult” to realize a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un anytime soon. This signals Mr. Lee won’t likely initiate any drastic steps meant to improve relations with North Korea.
Experts say there aren’t many diplomatic options for South Korea as it tries to address Mr. Trump’s tariff hikes and calls for South Korea to pay more for the cost of the U.S. military presence, as well as North Korea’s headlong pursuit of nuclear weapons. Experts say that has made both Mr. Lee and Mr. Kim Moon Soo avoid unveiling ambitious foreign policy goals.
Published – June 03, 2025 11:51 pm IST
