South Korea woke up to a new liberal president, Lee Jae-myung, who vowed to raise the country from the turmoil of a martial law crisis and revive an economy reeling from slowing growth and the threat of global protectionism.
Lee’s decisive victory in the snap election stands to usher in a sea change in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, after backlash against a botched attempt at military rule brought down Yoon Suk Yeol just three years into his troubled presidency.
With 100 per cent of the ballots counted, Lee had won 49.42pc of the nearly 35 million votes cast while conservative rival Kim Moon-soo had taken 41.15pc in the polls that brought the highest turnout for a presidential election since 1997, according to National Election Commission data.
The 61-year-old former human rights lawyer called the election ‘judgment day’ against Yoon’s martial law and his People Power Party’s failure to stop the ill-fated move.
“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,” Lee said in a victory speech outside parliament.
“We can overcome this temporary difficulty with the combined strength of our people, who have great capabilities,” he said.
Lee was officially confirmed as president by the National Election Commission and immediately assumed the powers of the presidency and commander in chief.
An abbreviated inauguration is planned at parliament within hours of the official confirmation.
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