On Tuesday, Liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung of South Korea’s Democratic Party won the presidency following a snap election triggered by the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who briefly imposed martial law.
Lee secured 48.5% of the vote with a strong lead over his conservative rival, Kim Moon-soo, as of 70% of the vote counted.
In his victory statement, Lee pledged to unite the nation and take on the challenges ahead.
Voter turnout was high at nearly 78%, with a third of voters casting ballots early.
Lee, a 61-year-old former human rights lawyer, had previously run unsuccessfully for president twice.
His win was driven by public outrage over Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law, which sparked South Korea’s biggest political crisis in recent times.
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