Lee Jae-myung elected new South Korean president after snap elections
Lee is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday as the country’s 14th president.
South Korea's Democratic Party's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung greets supporters outside of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korea’s liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung led with more than 85% of the votes counted in Tuesday’s snap presidential election, six months to the day after he evaded military cordons to vote against a shock martial law decree.
His conservative rival, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, conceded the race and congratulated Lee.
According to provisional results released by the National Election Commission (NEC), Lee, the candidate for the opposition Democratic Party, received more than 48 percent of the vote with over 85% of ballots counted. Kim trailed behind with 42.9%.
The vote follows a turbulent period in South Korean politics after former President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached in April. His short-lived declaration of martial law in December triggered protests and investigations that led to his removal from office, prompting the early election.
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