New South Korean President Lee Jae-myung rode a wave of voter anger against the December martial law attempt by his ousted predecessor, but his ability to lead will be judged by the strength of his policies.
Lee’s decisive victory in Tuesday’s snap election over Kim Moon-soo, the candidate for the conservative People Power Party (PPP), hands the liberal leader a resounding mandate and his Democratic Party (DP) control of parliament.
Healing the political rifts that led to former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s shock martial law and its divisive aftermath will be a tall order.
Analysts say both candidates were vague on their policy plans during the campaign, and Lee Jun-han, a political science professor at Incheon National University, said the results are more an indictment of Yoon and his PPP’s poor performance than an endorsement of the DP.
Kim, who opposed Yoon’s impeachment, was unprepared and the PPP did not show remorse after the martial law, he said.
The next president “should properly interpret that the people’s choice has been one-sided and reflect that in the government’s operation or politics in the future,” he said. “If they don’t, public sentiment will fluctuate quickly.”
While Lee Jae-myung has had his eye on the presidency for years, there have been major developments since he narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 election, said Kim Jun-seok, a political science professor at Dongguk University.
“Now he has restoration of democracy as one of his tasks,” he said. “Nonetheless, there are huge challenges faced by South Korea. A grim outlook on the economy that’s projected to grow maybe less than 1 percent. And there’s a crisis outside, dealing with [US President Donald] Trump. He has a lot of work to do.”
Voters said they were looking for the winner of the snap election to calm the economic and political shocks that have roiled the country since the Dec. 3 martial law decree led to months of economic downturn and sparked nationwide protests.
However, many complained about a lack of specifics in policy debates.
Lee Jae-myung has pledged to draft a second supplementary budget for the year as soon as the election is over, and promised vouchers to help local businesses, and subsidies for childcare, youth and the elderly to address growing discontent around tightening purse strings.
His camp says they intend to seek more time to negotiate on trade with Trump, but it is unclear how any request for an extension of the tariff deadline would be received in Washington.
With a rise in anti-China sentiment among South Koreans and Trump’s push to isolate Beijing, the new president must also tread carefully with any plans to improve ties with China.
Lee Jae-myung has also shown sensitivity to the political winds, moderating some of his stances on China, Japan and populist economic policies such as universal income ahead of the election.
“I hope he will resuscitate the economy and get rid of insurrection forces,” said Im Young-taek, 64, a small business owner. “And I do really hope he will make people comfortable. Things may not be easy with Trump, but I hope he will hire capable aides and resolve the issues well.”
Lee Jae-myung’s party will control parliament, easing the passage of legislation and budgets after years of deadlock between Yoon and the legislature.
However, that might do little to soothe political polarization, with conservatives warning that Lee Jae-myung and the DP would steamroll over any opposition.
“They have absolute power, which could lead to a departure from social unity,” said Incheon University’s Lee Jun-han. “Since they are the absolute majority, there seems to be little check and balance to stop them.”
Last month, a DP-led committee passed legislation aimed at changing an election law that Lee Jae-myung had been convicted of violating.
It has also promised to pass legislation clarifying what protections presidents have from criminal investigations, a move seen as trying to reduce Lee Jae-myung’s exposure to other ongoing charges.
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