Opposition leader wins historic victory in South Korean elections

In South Korea, in the extraordinary presidential election held yesterday, June 3, the leader of the United Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, was elected the country's new president. This was reported by local media, including the Yonhap news agency.

According to the results of the election, after the results were counted and 98.56 percent of the ballots were processed, the opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung won 49.25 percent of the votes. His main rival, the candidate of the ruling conservative "Citizen Power" party, Kim Moon-soo, managed to collect 41.40 percent of the votes.

It is worth noting that the election was observed with a high level of citizen participation. An hour before the end of the election, voter turnout reached the highest level in the last 28 years, reaching 77.8 percent.

Lee Jae-myung's victory this time is a major event in the political arena of South Korea. The reason is that he lost to former President Yun Seok-yeol by a narrow margin of just 1 percent in the 2022 presidential election. After that, he led the country's political changes as the leader of the opposition, and today he finally won the presidency.

Lee Jae-myung's election program has also received serious attention. In his speeches, the newly elected president emphasized that he aims to restore relations with North Korea, stabilize the situation in the region, and improve relations between the two Koreas through economic cooperation. He also expressed the need to further strengthen the national defense system against any threat from Pyongyang.

Lee Jae-myung's life path also deserves great attention. Although he was born in 1964 to a poor family in the city of Andong, he studied law with great difficulty and graduated from Chung-Ang University in Seoul in 1986. Lee Jae-myung, who began his political career in 2005, successfully served two terms as mayor of Seongnam from 2010 to 2018.

However, his political career has not always been associated with victory. He lost the mayoral election in 2006, and he also ran for president in 2017 and 2022, but lost. However, these setbacks did not dampen his fighting spirit and paved the way for today's historic victory.

The fate of his predecessor, President Yun Seok-yeol, was dramatic. In December 2024, Yun was impeached by the parliament and removed from office for attempting to impose martial law in the country. However, he denied all charges, considering his decision necessary for the country's security. The Constitutional Court found his decision illegal and completely removed him from the presidency.

Thus, Lee Jae-myung's victory is expected to usher in a new era in South Korea. The new president has already expressed his readiness to take important steps towards ensuring political stability in the country, improving relations with North Korea, and economic development.

The international community is also closely watching the steps the new president will take. It is of particular interest how the situation in the region will change with Lee Jae-myung's official inauguration. Only time will tell. But it is clear that a new page has been opened in the history of South Korea.