Lee fought the election as a referendum on martial law – it workedpublished at 17:50 British Summer Time
Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesIt is six months to the day that South Koreans fought off a military takeover by their former president Yoon Suk Yeol. Tonight, they have punished his party, putting the opposition back power.
The new president, Lee Jae-myung, fought this election as a referendum on martial law – promising to be the leader who would make sure this never happens again – and it worked.
Lee was once seen as a divisive character. He lost the last election three years ago and is facing multiple criminal charges. But over the past month he has managed to bring together people of all shades of politics, convinced that he is the only person who can steer South Korea back onto safe ground.
But before he can fix the country, Lee must deal with urgent challenges abroad. There are existential negotiations to be had with President Trump – not just about tariffs, but South Korea’s security. The US helps defend South Korea from the North, meaning there are thousands of troops stationed here, but Trump is reportedly considering removing some of them.
In the past Lee has been sceptical about Korea’s alliance with the US. His tone has softened slightly during this campaign, but at the same time he has said he wants to strengthen ties with China. This could cause friction between Seoul and Washington.
