Lee Jae Myung, South Korea’s liberal party candidate, was named the newly elected president in Tuesday’s election. His 2025 victory comes after conservative outsider Yoon Suk Yeol narrowly beat him in the 2022 election. However, this year, Lee beat his conservative rival Kim Moon Soo of the People Power Party. The Democratic Party leader’s snap election win was, in a way, six months in the making, since he voted against a shock martial law decree imposed by the now-ousted Yoon Suk Yeol.
According to Reuters, the 2025 South Korean presidential election witnessed the highest turnout in the country since 1997, as nearly 80% of the Asian nation’s 44.39 million eligible voters showed up to cast their votes. National Election Commission data indicated that 100% of the 35 million vote-count directed Lee Jae Myung to a sweeping election win at 49.42% compared to the conservative candidate Kim Moon So’s 41.15%. On Wednesday, the election commission officially announced the liberal leader the winner, and he immediately took on the powers granted to him with the new presidency.
After coming out on top of what he called the “judgement day” against his predecessor’s martial law, Lee promised to revive the economy. In light of the country still reeling from the scarring martial law attempt, he said in his brief victory speech outside parliament, “The first mission is to decisively overcome insurrection and to ensure there will never be another military coup with guns and swords turned against the people.” Sowing seeds for the nation’s unity, he added, “We can overcome this temporary difficulty with the combined strength of our people, who have great capabilities.”
Who is Lee Jae Myung?
The new 61-year-old South Korean president was once a human rights lawyer. Back in December, during Yoon’s brief attempt at martial law, Lee climbed the National Assembly’s walls, evading military cordons to vote against the now-ousted politician. At the time, he livestreamed all that he did to avoid being stopped at the gates, urging others to storm the parliament so that fellow lawmakers’ arrest could be prevented during the dire situation.
He was born to an impoverished farming family in a remote mountain village. His difficult journey began as a child labourer tasked to work in chemical factories. Lee Jae Myung has since described the experience as leaving him with impaired hearing and an arm deformity.
Over time, he crossed over these tribulations, leaving his rough start behind and emerging as a human rights and labour lawyer. This professional boost opened doors to the political world as he went on to become the mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, in 2010. Years later, he took the third spot in the 2017 DP presidential primary after conservative Park Geun Hye was impeached and removed. The following year, he was elected as the governor of Gyeonggi-do, the most populous South Korean province.
Lee’s 2022 presidential campaign put him on track to becoming then-newly-elected president Yoon Suk Yeol’s front-running rival in parliament. Yoon flipped the narrative by eventually accusing the Democratic Party leader of obstruction in justifying the late 2024 martial law.
Months before Yoon’s accusations, a man stabbed Lee in the neck. The accused backed the January 2024 violence with a manifesto he penned to make sure that Lee never became president. The man in question is now serving a 15-year sentence for attempted murder.
Lee Jae Myung scandals
Despite his popularity being attributed to a focus on equality, Lee has his own share of scandals.
In November, he was convicted of violating the election law, which resulted in a sentence that could have disqualified him from the presidency. This conviction was later overturned by an appeals court. However, the Supreme Court followed up by reinstating it and ordering the lower court to sentence him. That subsequent sentencing was put off until after the election, as the court hoped to avoid interference.
That same month, Lee was cleared of a charge of having forced a witness to commit perjury. The ruling has since been appealed.
The contentious political figure was also involved in a $1 billion property development scandal. Another case found him at the centre of an alleged scheme using an underwear company to transfer funds to North Korea and pull off a visit to Pyongyang during his term as a provincial governor. Lee Jae Myung denied all charges.
Lee Jae Myung on Trump, foreign policy
The former human rights lawyer will now lead the task of negotiating tariffs and more with US President Donald Trump. Given the current situation, Lee will barely be able to enjoy his storming victory during the usual two-month transition period. Having immediately taken on his role as the president and commander-in-chief, his major goal is to avert an economic crisis in the face of looming tariffs.
Despite South Korea’s long-standing relations with the US dating back to the Korean War days, a lot is at stake. At the time of the martial law declaration, Yoon Suk Yeol even portrayed Lee’s party as “anti-state,” and being influenced by North Korea and China. The Democratic Party leader’s vows to improve connections with China and Russia could also ultimately endanger the country’s ties with Washington.
With inputs from agencies.