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EXPERT COMMENT

Left-leaning election winner has previously made controversial foreign policy statements and could move Seoul closer to Beijing, at a time when North Korea poses a growing threat.

South Korea elected the left-leaning Democratic Party candidate, Lee Jae-myung, as its new president on 3 June. The snap election followed the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol in April, after the conservative leader declared martial law on 3 December last year. 

Lee won the election with 49.42 per cent of the vote, ahead of the People Power Party candidate, Kim Moon-soo, at 41.15 per cent. His victory is not a surprise. In the weeks prior to the election, Lee had commanded a sizeable, albeit tightening, lead over his rivals. At 79.4 per cent, turnout was the highest since 1997, perhaps reflecting the heightened stakes and sharp political divisions within South Korean society. 

The new South Korean president now faces a myriad of domestic, regional, and global challenges, including domestic political polarization, escalating threats from North Korea and China, and evolving dynamics in Seoul’s alliance with Washington. 

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.