Outspoken liberal leader Lee elected South Korea's president, closing period of political tumult

SEOUL, South Korea -- SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lee Jae-myung, who roseate from puerility poorness to go South Korea’s starring wide person vowing to combat inequality and corruption, volition go the country's adjacent president connected Wednesday aft an election that closed 1 of the astir turbulent chapters successful the young democracy.

Lee, 60, the campaigner of the wide absorption Democratic Party, is taking bureau for a full, azygous five-year term, succeeding Yoon Suk Yeol, a blimpish who was felled implicit his stunning yet little imposition of martial instrumentality successful December.

It was unclear whether Lee’s predetermination would origin immoderate major, contiguous displacement successful South Korea’s overseas policy. Lee, antecedently accused by critics of tilting toward China and North Korea and distant from the U.S. and Japan, has repeatedly stressed South Korea's confederation with the U.S. arsenic the instauration of its overseas policy.

The toughest outer challenges awaiting Lee are U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff argumentation and North Korea’s advancing atomic program. But experts earlier said whoever becomes president can't bash overmuch to unafraid large advancement successful South Korea’s favour connected those issues.

As of 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, with implicit 99% of the votes counted, Lee obtained 49.3% of the votes formed successful Tuesday's aboriginal election, portion main blimpish contender Kim Moon Soo trailed with 41.3% — a spread that was intolerable to flooded mathematically.

Preelection surveys person agelong suggested Lee appeared headed for an casual win, riding connected heavy nationalist vexation implicit the conservatives successful the aftermath of Yoon’s martial instrumentality debacle.

Even earlier Lee’s triumph was formally declared, Kim conceded, telling journalists that helium “humbly accepts the people’s choice,” and congratulated Lee.

Earlier, Lee appeared earlier thousands of cheering supporters connected Seoul's streets. He didn't formally assertion victory, but reiterated his large argumentation goals, specified arsenic revitalizing the economy, promoting bid with North Korea and easing a home divide.

“Let america determination guardant with anticipation and marque a caller commencement from this infinitesimal on,” helium said. “Though we whitethorn person clashed for immoderate time, adjacent those who did not enactment america are inactive our chap citizens of the Republic of Korea.”

Lee, who served arsenic politician of Gyeonggi state and politician of Seongnam city, has been a highly divisive figure successful authorities for years.

As a erstwhile kid laborer known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story, Lee came to fame done biting disapproval of the country’s blimpish constitution and calls to physique a much assertive South Korea successful overseas policy. That rhetoric has fixed him an representation arsenic idiosyncratic who tin institute sweeping reforms and hole the country’s deep-seated economical inequality and corruption.

His critics presumption him arsenic a unsafe populist who relies connected governmental part and backpedals connected promises excessively easily.

On overseas policy, Lee has vowed to prosecute pragmatic diplomacy. He has promised to make the confederation with the U.S. and solidify a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership, a stance that isn't overmuch antithetic from the presumption held by South Korea’s conservatives.

“We’ll person to present spot if the pressures of bureau volition origin Lee Jae-myung to govern from the halfway — astatine slightest erstwhile it comes to matters of nationalist information and the confederation with the United States,” said Ankit Panda, an adept with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Lee said that helium would prosecute amended ties with North Korea, but acknowledged that it would beryllium “very difficult” to clasp a acme with North Korean person Kim Jong Un anytime soon. This signals Lee won't apt initiate immoderate drastic steps meant to amended relations with North Korea.

Experts accidental determination aren’t galore diplomatic options for South Korea arsenic it tries to code Trump’s tariff hikes and calls for South Korea to wage much for the cost of the U.S. subject presence, arsenic good arsenic North Korea’s headlong pursuit of atomic weapons. Experts accidental that has made some Lee and different candidates debar unveiling ambitious overseas argumentation goals.

Paik Wooyeal, a prof astatine Seoul’s Yonsei University, said that overseas argumentation strategists for Lee recognize determination isn’t overmuch South Korea tin bash to bring astir a denuclearization of North Korea. Paik said Lee besides doesn’t stock the Korean nationalistic zeal held by ex-liberal President Moon Jae-in, who met Kim Jong Un 3 times during his 2017-22 term.

There are inactive hopes that diplomacy betwixt the U.S. and North Korea could resume, with Trump repeatedly expressing his intent to scope retired to Kim Jong Un. Lee has said that helium would enactment Trump's outreach.

“South Korea and the United States whitethorn beryllium amended aligned connected engaging North Korea nether the existent constellation of enactment successful some countries,” Panda said. “The 2 sides should statesman consultations soon to guarantee they’re aligned connected their goals.”

Lee’s authorities inactive could go engaged successful “a small spot of friction” with the Trump administration, said Chung Jin-young, a erstwhile dean of the Graduate School of Pan-Pacific International Studies astatine South Korea’s Kyung Hee University.

Chung predicted Lee inactive won’t beryllium capable to prosecute overly drastic steps connected overseas argumentation and security, fixed the country’s overseas speech and fiscal markets are susceptible to specified changes.

Lee has preached patience implicit Trump’s tariff policy, arguing it would beryllium a mistake to unreserved negotiations successful pursuit of an aboriginal statement with Washington.

On Monday, South Korean commercialized officials held an exigency gathering to sermon a effect to Trump’s announcement that the U.S. volition rise tariffs connected steel and aluminum products to 50% opening Wednesday. South Korea’s cardinal slope past week sharply lowered its 2025 maturation outlook to 0.8%, citing the imaginable interaction of Trump’s tariff hikes and anemic home request worsened by the governmental turmoil of past months.

The predetermination serves arsenic different defining infinitesimal successful the country’s resilient democracy, but observers interest a worsened home disagreement could airs a large governmental load connected the caller president.

The past six months saw ample crowds of radical rallying to either denounce oregon enactment Yoon, portion a enactment vacuum caused by Yoon’s impeachment and ensuing formal dismissal rattled the country’s high-level diplomatic activities and fiscal markets.

Lee has promised to heal the nationalist split, but his vow to thoroughly clasp those progressive successful Yoon's martial instrumentality stunt accountable has sparked concerns that helium would usage investigations to motorboat governmental retaliations against his opponents.

“The adjacent question is conscionable however Lee volition correspond and support South Korea’s democracy,” said Soo Kim, a erstwhile CIA Korea expert and geopolitical hazard consultant.

“Will South Korea’s authorities inactive stay focused connected retribution, oregon volition Seoul yet look beyond this and enactment constructively and progressively for the country’s champion semipermanent antiauthoritarian interests?” she said. “It’s a gangly bid for Lee.”