South Korea’s conservative candidate admits to elect presidential election to Lee Jae-Myung
South Korea’s Liberal Party candidate Lee Jae-Myung is expected to win the country’s temporary election, which took place six months after the country’s crisis caused by its former president.
Kim Moon-soo, a conservative candidate for the People’s Power Party, said in a press conference that he called Lee to congratulate him on his victory.
Democratic candidate Lee accumulates 48% of the votes, with 73% of the votes counting as 42.9%.
Early exit polls by multiple Korean broadcasters foreshadowed the results, which made Lee the target to win 50% or 51% of the vote.
Lee said: “I will do my best to fulfill my tremendous responsibilities and duties to me so as not to contradict the expectations of the Korean people. Thank you.”
According to the National Election Commission, about 78% of South Korea’s 4.439 million qualified citizens voted in earlier votes, and 14,300 hours above Election Day voted at nearly 14,300 polling stations.
The National Election Commission is the body responsible for proving the results, and the winners are expected to have their inauguration within hours of that statement.
Voters want stability
King was the labor secretary of Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration, and the president, in other cases, would have served before the 2027 election. But former prosecutor Yoon declared martial law on December 3, despite his attempts to refute quickly due to widespread protests.
After being impeached by parliament in December, Yoon was removed from office by the Constitutional Court on April 4, with less than three years in less than five years, triggering the rapid election, which is currently aimed at reshaping South Korea’s political leadership and foreign policy.
The winner must meet challenges, including a deeply scarred society since the attempted military rule, and a heavier export economy created from the unpredictable U.S. protectionist actions, major trading partners and security partners and security allies.
“I hope the problem of martial law is solved more clearly and transparently,” said Kim Yang, a 40-year-old Seoul resident. “There are still many things that don’t make sense and I want to see them resolved correctly.”
Lee once targeted the election “Judgement Day” against the former Yuan government and the conservative BJP, accusing them of forgiving martial law attempts because they did not try harder to thwart the presidency and even tried to save Yoon Won’s presidency.
“There are only six golden hours left to save the South Korean crisis,” Lee said in an urging people to vote in a Facebook post.
Both Lee and Kim promised change for the country, saying the political institutions and economic models established during the rise of upcoming democratic and industrial forces are no longer suitable for purpose.
Their proposals for innovation and technology investment often overlap, but Lee advocates more equity and helping low- and middle-income families, and Kim has campaigned to push businesses to free themselves from regulations and labor conflicts.
However, Yoon’s brief attempts imposed martial law, which loomed in the polls.
Kim named Lee the “Dictorian” and his Democrats were “monsters”, warning that if a former human rights lawyer becomes president, there is nothing to stop them from working together to modify the law simply because they don’t like them.
“People’s Party and I will do our best to save people’s livelihoods and economies,” Kim said in a Facebook post.
Lee and Kim voted during the voting last week.
Regular voters in Seoul urge the next leader to ease the disharmony, restore stability and respond to the impact of the crisis that touches his family.
“The economy has been worse since December 3, not only for me, but I heard it,” said Kim Kwang-Ma, 81. “As a people, we have become polarized … I hope we can unite so that South Korea can grow again.”
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the past 24 hours only because his decision was unanimously rejected by parliament. Andrew Chang explains the turmoil that led to the presidential declaration and its claims about South Korean politics. Images provided by Reuters and Getty Images.
