SEOUL, June 04 (AJP) - Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party is projected to win South Korea’s 21st presidential election, setting the stage for a return to liberal leadership just three years after conservatives took office.
The Jun. 3 snap election was triggered by the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law on December 3, 2024. Citing unspecified threats to national stability, Yoon ordered the military and police into emergency readiness without legal process. The move drew widespread condemnation as unconstitutional.
On April 4, the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion, and the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld it. Under South Korean law, a new president must be elected within 60 days of a vacancy.
According to a joint exit poll released at 8 p.m. by KBS, MBC, and SBS, Lee secured 51.7 percent of the vote, with People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo at 39.3 percent. Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party was projected to receive 7.7 percent. The 12.4 percentage point margin prompted all three broadcasters to project Lee as the winner just before midnight.
As of 11:18 p.m., with 31.5 percent of votes counted, Lee was leading with 48.32 percent, followed by Kim at 43.40 percent and Lee Jun-seok at 7.24 percent. While the official count continues, early returns and exit poll data strongly indicate a decisive outcome.
Voter turnout reached 79.4 percent, the highest in a presidential race since 1997, reflecting strong public engagement after months of political turmoil. This was South Korea’s second-ever snap presidential election, the first having followed Park Geun-hye’s impeachment in 2017.
Lee, 61, campaigned on a platform of economic revival and democratic restoration. A former factory worker who became a human rights lawyer, he built his career advocating for labor rights and social equity. His campaign pledged to shorten the workweek to 4.5 days without reducing pay, expand protections for unions, and invest 100 trillion won in artificial intelligence.
His AI initiative includes the development of a Korean version of ChatGPT, free for public use, and the acquisition of more than 50,000 high-performance GPUs to boost innovation in tech, defense, and cultural industries.
Lee is expected to take office immediately once the National Election Commission finalizes the count and certifies the result. If confirmed, his victory would end conservative rule and usher in a new political chapter amid heightened calls for reform, accountability, and stability.
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