A left-wing opposition leader won South Korea’s presidential election Tuesday, official vote tallies showed.
Lee Jae-myung defeated a conservative candidate who served in the cabinet of Yoon Suk Yeol, the former president ousted from office after his botched martial law declaration in December.
The election could bring “kind of a return to normal politics” after the tumultuous six months and as US tariffs offer fresh economic uncertainty, an expert said. Lee is expected to seek stronger ties with China and more engagement with North Korea.
He ran as a unifying candidate after the martial law debacle, but he “will need to navigate a deeply polarized electorate and a shifting geopolitical landscape,” Korea JoongAng Daily wrote.
AD