South Korea presidential election | South Korea punishes coup plotters

When the first polls from election day were announced at 8:00 p.m., the blue camp jumped to their feet in celebration, while the red camp remained silent. More than 50 percent of the electorate had cast their ballot for Lee Jae-myung, the candidate of the liberal Democratic Party (DP), which in South Korea is known for its blue party. The margin over Kim Moon-soo, who had run for the previously ruling conservative People's Power Party (PPP), was more than 12 percentage points. A clear win.

The new president of South Korea is Lee Jae-myung – the man who, three years ago, was narrowly defeated by the PPP right-wing populist Yoon Suk-yeol, who then plunged the East Asian country into a national crisis. On December 3, 2024, Yoon, who had previously ruled authoritarianly, suddenly declared martial law. The plan failed primarily due to resistance from DP lawmakers , who stormed the sealed-off parliament late that evening and voted against it.

Since then, South Korea – which only transitioned from a military dictatorship to a democracy in 1987 – has experienced shaky months. Following his impeachment, Yoon Suk-yeol, who justified his decision with infiltration of the DP by enemy North Korea but has yet to prove this, is facing criminal proceedings. While the country awaits a verdict, it has also had to wait half a year for a new government. And this at a time when Donald Trump is once again US President.

On election day, Lee portrayed himself as a protector of democracy against the "coup forces." After all, he played a major role in the failure of Yoon's plan on the evening of the declaration of martial law. However, there were apparently doubts beforehand about the extent to which Tuesday's election would secure the preservation of democracy: The police were on high alert. Lee, who survived a stabbing attack at the beginning of last year, repeatedly appeared wearing a bulletproof vest and behind protective screens. The situation is extremely tense.

It's hard to say that Lee Jae-myung was a particularly popular candidate. Even though he garnered around half of the votes, which is easily enough for victory given the handful of candidates, the second-placed PPP still managed to garner around 40 percent of the vote. And the fact that the PPP, whose leader Yoon attempted a coup six months ago, is now receiving so many votes is also seen as a sign of Lee's unpopularity.

Lee Jae-myung, who campaigned on left-wing ideas like a basic income during the presidential election campaign three years ago, but now speaks of market forces and the great importance of large corporations, is not considered authentic by all. In addition, several lawsuits are pending against him, including one concerning a possible false statement made during the last election campaign. South Korea is awaiting a verdict in this case as well. If found guilty, Lee could be forced to vacate the presidency.

Many voters were still undecided on election day. Lee Eun-jeong, for example, a restaurateur from Seoul, said on Tuesday: "I don't know who to vote for." She actually leans more toward the blue party, meaning she's close to the DP. "But Lee seems to have a lot going for her. Then again, I don't want to support a party that embraces ideas like martial law." In the end, she made a spontaneous decision in the voting booth – reluctantly for the PPP.

As the loser, the PPP now faces a period of upheaval. "Regardless of the outcome, it's clear that we need to change," said Kim Geum-hyok, PPP advisor and YouTuber, in an interview on election day. "Declaring martial law was a big mistake, and we should have made that clearer." PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo, formerly labor minister under Yoon, refused to apologize for the incident. "We need a generational change," demanded Kim Geum-hyok, who is himself in his mid-30s.

In the opposition, the PPP will have to rediscover itself, possibly even split, as the camp around ousted former President Yoon Suk-yeol will likely be difficult to reconcile with other forces within the party. The new President Lee Jae-myung, in turn, will now have to offer cooperation to these forces, which he blanketly called coup forces during the election campaign. If not, he could face opposition as fierce as the one he led when working against the authoritarian Yoon.

Major conflicts are already inevitable, especially in foreign policy. Lee has announced that he will put an end to his predecessor Yoon's confrontational policy against North Korea and seek renewed talks with the enemy sister state. Within the PPP, this is being branded a major mistake, especially now that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has established good relations with Russia. Lee Jae-myung, on the other hand, wants to talk not only with Pyongyang, but also with Moscow and Beijing.