SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥� , who rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea鈥檚 leading liberal politician vowing to fight inequality and corruption, will become the country's next president on Wednesday after that closed one of the most turbulent chapters in the young democracy.
Lee, 60, the candidate of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, is taking office for a full, single five-year term, succeeding a conservative who was felled over his stunning yet brief imposition of martial law in December.
It was unclear whether Lee鈥檚 election would cause any major, immediate shift in South Korea鈥檚 foreign policy. Lee, previously accused by critics of tilting toward China and North Korea and away from the U.S. and Japan, has repeatedly stressed South Korea's alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of its foreign policy.
The toughest external challenges awaiting Lee are U.S. President tariff policy and . But experts earlier said whoever becomes president can't do much to secure major progress in South Korea鈥檚 favor on those issues.
As of 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, with over 99% of the votes counted, Lee obtained 49.3% of the votes cast in Tuesday's early election, while main conservative contender Kim Moon Soo trailed with 41.3% 鈥� a gap that was impossible to overcome mathematically.
Preelection surveys have long suggested Lee appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon鈥檚 martial law debacle.
Even before Lee鈥檚 win was formally declared, Kim conceded, telling journalists that he 鈥渉umbly accepts the people鈥檚 choice,鈥� and congratulated Lee.
Earlier, Lee appeared before thousands of cheering supporters on Seoul's streets. He didn't formally claim victory, but reiterated his major policy goals, such as revitalizing the economy, promoting peace with North Korea and easing a domestic divide.
鈥淟et us move forward with hope and make a fresh start from this moment on,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hough we may have clashed for some time, even those who did not support us are still our fellow citizens of the Republic of Korea.鈥�
Pragmatic diplomacy
Lee, who served as governor of Gyeonggi province and mayor of Seongnam city, has been a highly in politics for years.
As a former child laborer known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story, Lee came to fame through biting criticism of the country鈥檚 conservative establishment and calls to build a more assertive South Korea in foreign policy. That rhetoric has given him an image as someone who can institute sweeping reforms and fix the country鈥檚 deep-seated economic inequality and corruption.
His critics view him as a dangerous populist who relies on political division and backpedals on promises too easily.
On foreign policy, Lee has vowed to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He has promised to develop the alliance with the U.S. and solidify a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership, a stance that isn't much different from the position held by South Korea鈥檚 conservatives.
鈥淲e鈥檒l have to now see if the pressures of office will cause Lee Jae-myung to govern from the center 鈥� at least when it comes to matters of national security and the alliance with the United States,鈥� said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Lee said that he would pursue better ties with North Korea, but acknowledged that it would be 鈥渧ery difficult鈥� to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un anytime soon. This signals Lee won't likely initiate any drastic steps meant to improve relations with North Korea.
Experts say there aren鈥檛 many diplomatic options for South Korea as it tries to address and calls for South Korea to pay more for the , as well as North Korea鈥檚 headlong pursuit of nuclear weapons. Experts say that has made both Lee and other candidates avoid unveiling ambitious foreign policy goals.
Paik Wooyeal, a professor at Seoul鈥檚 Yonsei University, said that foreign policy strategists for Lee understand there isn鈥檛 much South Korea can do to bring about a denuclearization of North Korea. Paik said Lee also doesn鈥檛 share the Korean nationalistic zeal held by ex-liberal President , who met Kim Jong Un three times during his 2017-22 term.
There are still hopes that diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea could resume, with Trump repeatedly expressing his intent to reach out to Kim Jong Un. Lee has said that he would support Trump's outreach.
鈥淪outh Korea and the United States may be better aligned on engaging North Korea under the current constellation of leadership in both countries,鈥� Panda said. 鈥淭he two sides should begin consultations soon to ensure they鈥檙e aligned on their goals.鈥�
Impact of tariff hikes
Lee鈥檚 government still could become engaged in 鈥渁 little bit of friction鈥� with the Trump administration, said Chung Jin-young, a former dean of the Graduate School of Pan-Pacific International Studies at South Korea鈥檚 Kyung Hee University.
Chung predicted Lee still won鈥檛 be able to pursue overly drastic steps on foreign policy and security, given the country鈥檚 foreign exchange and financial markets are vulnerable to such changes.
Lee has preached patience over Trump鈥檚 tariff policy, arguing it would be a mistake to rush negotiations in pursuit of an early agreement with Washington.
On Monday, South Korean trade officials held an emergency meeting to discuss a response to Trump鈥檚 announcement that the and aluminum products to 50% beginning Wednesday. South Korea鈥檚 central bank last week sharply lowered its 2025 growth outlook to 0.8%, citing the potential impact of Trump鈥檚 tariff hikes and weak domestic demand worsened by the political turmoil of past months.
Healing domestic divide
The election serves as another defining moment in the country鈥檚 resilient democracy, but observers worry a worsened domestic divide could pose a big political burden on the new president.
The past six months saw large crowds of people rallying to either denounce or support Yoon, while a leadership vacuum caused by and ensuing rattled the country鈥檚 high-level diplomatic activities and financial markets.
Lee has promised to heal the national split, but his vow to thoroughly hold those involved in Yoon's martial law stunt accountable has sparked concerns that he would use investigations to launch political retaliations against his opponents.
鈥淭he next question is just how Lee will represent and protect South Korea鈥檚 democracy,鈥� said Soo Kim, a former CIA Korea analyst and geopolitical risk consultant.
鈥淲ill South Korea鈥檚 politics still remain focused on retribution, or will Seoul finally look beyond this and work constructively and progressively for the country鈥檚 best long-term democratic interests?鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tall order for Lee.鈥�
Hyung-jin Kim And Kim Tong-hyung, The Associated Press
