Seoul: South Korea has a new President, Lee Jae-myung, who won the special presidential election held on Tuesday. His victory comes after six months of political chaos in the country.
Lee, a leader of the Liberal Party, secured more than 49.3% of the votes. Voter turnout was more than 80%, the highest in the country in nearly three decades. His main rival, Kim Moon-soo, accepted defeat.
Why South Korea’s presidential elections held?
This snap election was held after the former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was removed from office. In late 2024, Yoon suddenly imposed martial law, which sparked mass protests across South Korea. People took to the streets, and the situation became so tense that Yoon had to withdraw the order and apologize publicly on live television.
On 14 December, members of parliament voted to impeach him. After a court review lasting nearly six months, Yoon was officially dismissed from office on 4 April.
In the meantime, the country saw more political instability. Acting Prime Minister Han Duk-soo was also impeached for not signing a special bill, and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok was temporarily given charge. Yoon was even taken into custody but later released after a court decision.
Lee Jae-Myung’s political journey
Lee Jae-myung’s journey to the presidency has been filled with struggle. Born in a poor family in a mountain village in Andong in 1963, Lee worked in a factory during his youth and later became a human rights lawyer.
He entered politics in 2005 and has served as the mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province. In 2022, he lost the presidential election, but his party made a comeback this year, choosing him as their candidate due to his strong stance against Yoon’s actions.
In 2024, Lee survived a knife attack in Busan where he was stabbed in the neck and had to be hospitalized. Despite all odds, he rose to become the nation’s top leader.
Lee Jae-myung says he’ll bolster US-Japan ties
On Wednesday, Lee officially began his five-year term without the usual two-month transition. In his inaugural speech at the National Assembly, he promised to open talks with North Korea while keeping strong military ties with the United States.
He said peace on the Korean Peninsula would be a key focus and emphasized practical diplomacy with all neighboring countries. Lee also pledged to boost the three-way partnership between South Korea, US and Japan.
Lee said his top priority would be reviving South Korea’s slowing economy. He announced plans to create an emergency task force to fight against recession and promised more government spending to increase economic activity. The country’s central bank recently cut interest rates and lowered the 2025 growth forecast to 0.8%, mainly due to US tariff hikes and internal instability.
Although some of Lee’s past critics said he leaned toward China and North Korea, he has now firmly stated that South Korea’s alliance with the US will remain the core of its foreign policy.
PM Modi congratulates Lee
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Lee on his election, writing on X, “Look forward to working together to further expand and strengthen the India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership.”
Congratulations to Mr Lee Jae-Myung on being elected as the President of the Republic of Korea. Look forward to working together to further expand and strengthen the India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership.@Jaemyung_Lee
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 4, 2025
Lee also called South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to ensure strong military readiness against North Korea and visited Seoul’s national cemetery to pay his respects to former leaders and war heroes.
