New Delhi/Seoul: South Korea has elected liberal leader Lee Jae-myung after an overwhelming 49.4% of the electorate trusted him over his closest competitor Kim Moon-soo with 41.15% of the vote. The former human rights lawyer and Democratic Party candidate had lost the 2022 electrion with a razor thin margin, serving as the leader of opposition instead.
On hearing the news, PM Modi extended his congratulations with a post on X
Congratulations to Mr Lee Jae-Myung on being elected as the President of the Republic of Korea. Look forward to working together to further expand and strengthen the India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership.@Jaemyung_Lee
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 4, 2025
Mr Lee has been a symbol of resilience as he started working in a factory as a teenager before becoming a human rights lawyer. He has pledged to ease tensions with North Korea and increase the budget for research and development.
The election result has come after a snap election in Asia’s fourth largest economy. The incoming president faces a barrage of challenges in South Korea, including the botched martial law attempt by his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol and the increasingly protectionist trade policies of the Trump administration.
His immediate priorities include stabilizing real estate prices, boosting youth employment, and tackling inflation. Observers expect his administration to adopt bold fiscal policies and embrace green and digital transformation agendas to rejuvenate Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
His short-term priorities include stabilising real estate prices, youth employment, and reducing inflationary pressures. His administration is expected to take aggressive fiscal measures and focus on green and digital transformation policies to reinvigorate the economy, observers said. Now, as the world looks on, Lee Jae-myung assumes office during a challenging time — high expectations and a country yearning for change.
