Lee Jae-myung, the candidate for the Democratic Party, took more than half the votes, according to an exit poll by broadcasters.
Lee Jae-myung was officially announced the winner of South Korea’s presidential election on June 3. The 61-year-old politician will take office immediately and serve a single, five-year term.
Before Lee’s victory was formally declared, his opponent, and conservative contender, Kim Moon-soo, conceded and congratulated Lee, telling journalists he “humbly accepts the people’s choice.”
Lee won South Korea’s presidential election with more than half the votes, according to broadcasters in the country on Tuesday.
A joint exit poll conducted by KBS, MBC, and SBS put liberal opposition leader Lee at 51.7 percent while his conservative rival Kim Moon-soo took just 39.3 percent.
Another poll by broadcaster JTBC put Lee at 50.6 percent and Kim at 39.4 percent, while Channel A also predicted a Lee victory by a similar percentage.
Some 78 percent of South Koreans eligible had cast their votes for a new head of state in the snap ballot, which was called in the wake of former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s defenestration following an abortive attempt to institute martial law in December.
Yoon, who is currently on trial for insurrection, attempted to impose martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, before he backed down six hours later in the face of parliamentary opposition and public protests.
That move plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy into months of political turmoil and led to the Constitutional Court eventually relieving him of the presidency in April.
Yoon denies the charges.
The chairman of Lee’s Democratic Party, Park Chan-dae, told broadcaster KBS the people had “passed a judgment like a scolding on the civil war regime,” after the exit polls were revealed.
During his campaign, Lee said he would amend the constitution to make it harder for future presidents to impose martial law, as well as vowing to take steps to tackle the country’s economic issues.
He also called for a special prosecutor to be appointed to investigate the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law incident to bring those responsible to justice; however, he said military officials who were reluctant to follow orders should be granted leniency.
Some 44.3 million South Koreans are eligible to vote in the election.
By Guy Birchall
