• Defeating Kim Moon-soo of the ruling People Power Party, Lee becomes 14th president of South Korea since 1948
• Snap election for single 5-year term were triggered after Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted for declaring martial law

ANKARA

South Koreans on Tuesday elected Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung as the country’s new president for a five-year term, in a crucial vote triggered by an abortive attempt by his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol to invoke martial law last December.

Lee, 61, secured more than 49% of the vote to become South Korea’s 14th president, according to the Yonhap News, citing the election authority. He had, until recently, faced legal and political challenges on his path to the presidency.

The provisional voter turnout, including early and overseas ballots, stood at 79.4%, the highest in 28 years, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. The last presidential election in 2022 saw a turnout of 77.1%.

After vote counting was finished, Lee's vote stood at 49.42%.

Official confirmation is expected early Wednesday.

Lee defeated Kim Moon-soo of the ruling People Power Party.

The constitutional crisis triggered after the Dec. 3 army rule declaration reversed fortunes for Lee as he appeared to be a leading figure to oppose the short-lived martial law, which subsequently led to Yoon's impeachment and removal by the country's Constitutional Court.

Among the legal obstacles, which still cast a long shadow over his political future, include allegations of corruption, abuse of power, and making false statements.

The newly-elected president is also facing a retrial for making false statement during his 2022 presidential campaign.

A human rights lawyer-turned politician, he was acquitted in the case this March by an appellant court, clearing the way for his presidential run.

However, the country's Supreme Court, few weeks before the Tuesday vote, overturned the acquittal and sent back the case to the High Court for a retrial.

Factory worker and human rights defender

Born in 1963 in a mountain village in Andong, North Gyeongsang province, the former DP leader worked at a factory in Seongnam after elementary school to support his family.

At the age of 13, Lee suffered a permanent injury to his arm after his wrist was crushed by a press machine in the factory he was working at.

The fifth of five sons and two daughters, Lee passed exams for high school and university in 1978 and 1980, respectively.

He studied law at Chung-Ang University with a full scholarship and passed bar exam in 1986.

Lee married his wife Kim Hye-kyung in 1992, and has two children with her.

He worked as a human rights lawyer for almost two decades before entering politics in 2005.

Forays into politics and a survivor

Lee joined the social-liberal Uri Party, a predecessor of the DP, and the ruling party at the time.

He served as mayor of the city of Seongnam, Gyeonggi province between 2010 and 2018, and the provincial governor from 2018–2021.

Later, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly from the city of Incheon in June 2022.

Lee first tried to contest the presidential election as a DP candidate in 2017, but lost the primary to the former President Moon Jae-in.

He succeeded in securing the party's candidacy for 2022 presidential election, but lost to Yoon by a razor-thin margin of 0.73%.

In January 2024, Lee survived an assassination attempt, when he was stabbed in the neck during a public event.

According to authorities, the assassination attempt aimed to stop him from becoming president.

In a recent memoir, Lee described his childhood as "miserable," as his poor upbringing has drawn scorn from members of South Korea's upper class.

But his checkered political career combined with a bullish political style has earned him the support of middle and working-class voters.

Lee is the first president from DP to have a friendly parliament, which has the power to veto the chief executive’s policies.

During his leadership of DP, the party won a majority in the 300-seat parliament last year.

*With contributions by Aamir Latif