Seoul, South Korea — An awesome 77.8% of South Korea's eligible voters turned up astatine polling stations Tuesday to formed their ballots successful a drawback statesmanlike predetermination sparked by the impeachment of the country's erstwhile leader. It was the highest turnout ever seen successful a Korean election, and the country's media said exit polls made a triumph by Democratic Party campaigner Lee Jae-myung each but definite aft the voting ended.
An exit canvass conducted jointly by 3 of South Korea's biggest broadcasters, which has mostly been a reliable predictor of predetermination results, showed Lee securing astir 50% of the votes, giving him astir a 10% pb implicit his blimpish rival Kim Moon-soo.
Kim had precocious served arsenic the employment and labour curate successful the Cabinet of erstwhile President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over his brief but shocking imposition of martial law precocious past year.
Lee's Democratic Party has been the superior absorption enactment for respective years, but if helium wins the South Korean presidency arsenic predicted, the Democrats volition find themselves backmost successful power of some the enforcement subdivision and the parliament, wherever they already person a bulk of seats, for the archetypal clip since 2022.
There has not been an elected president successful bureau since Yoon was impeached precocious past year, truthful determination volition beryllium nary ceremonial modulation period. The inauguration ceremonial for the 21st president of South Korea is acceptable to beryllium held Wednesday, conscionable hours aft the last votes were cast.
South Koreans filled the streets astir cardinal authorities buildings successful Seoul successful December aft Yoon abruptly declared martial law. He said the draconian measurement was indispensable fixed the level of governmental part successful South Korea, and claiming communist forces were threatening the nationalist bid and safety.
But Yoon's explanation of an force wrong changed, arsenic helium archetypal said the communists infiltrating South Korean authorities were North Koreans, but past said it was Chinese power that warranted his martial instrumentality declaration.
Many younger South Koreans bristled, and they came retired successful unit successful beforehand of the parliament, urging lawmakers to impeach Yoon, who did support important support, peculiarly among older and right-wing voters.
His immense governmental gamble with the martial instrumentality declaration, and his consequent refusal to permission bureau pursuing his impeachment, is wide seen arsenic having shifted galore voters to Lee and the Democratic Party.
Yoon bushed Lee successful the past statesmanlike predetermination successful 2022, but by a razor-thin borderline of lone 247,077 votes.
Who is Lee Jae-myung, South Korea's apt caller leader?
Lee is simply a seasoned person with 20 years of acquisition arsenic an elected official.
He volition trust connected that acquisition to assistance him navigate the powerfulness conflict betwixt South Korea's longtime closest ally, the United States, and its neighbour China, arsenic Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping prosecute successful a commercialized warfare that has affected planetary markets.
Lee vowed earlier the predetermination that, if helium won, helium would enactment to further make the U.S.-South Korea narration "into a future-oriented, broad strategical alliance."
Journalists stitchery wrong the concern country for Democratic Party statesmanlike campaigner Lee Jae-myung, pictured connected the poster, astatine the National Assembly, arsenic voting successful South Korea's statesmanlike predetermination comes to an end, successful Seoul, June 3, 2025.
Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images
Lee besides promised "stable absorption of Korea-China relations, promotion of Korea-Russia diplomacy," and to prioritize South Korea's nationalist interests.
He has vowed to put up to 100 trillion won (about $73 billion) to money artificial quality enactment successful the country, aiming to marque South Korea 1 of the apical 3 planetary AI powerhouses.
But Lee has offered small successful the mode of firm, circumstantial commitments, and galore South Koreans remained unclear astir what benignant of diplomatic policies helium mightiness follow if and erstwhile helium takes the country's highest office.
Before South Korea descended into interior governmental chaos successful precocious 2024, the erstwhile blimpish authorities had taken a hard enactment connected North Korea and Kim Jong Un's isolated regime, fueling higher hostility crossed the 2 countries' heavy militarized border.
If the predetermination effect does lucifer the exit polls, Lee volition instrumentality bureau facing aggregate ongoing transgression cases, including a $1 cardinal spot improvement scandal, alleged amerciable remittances sent to North Korea, and the alleged misuse of authorities recognition cards.
South Korean presidents bash person a important grade of immunity from transgression prosecution, though not from charges of treason oregon insurrection.
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