Successor to Moon Jae In
South Korea elects conservative president
03/09/2022 11:06 p.m
South Korea’s presidential election was a neck-and-neck race. The conservative opposition candidate received slightly more votes than the ruling Democrats. Political newcomer Yoon will be the new president – he is banking primarily on economic recovery.
The South Koreans have elected the conservative opposition candidate Yoon Suk Yeol as their new president, thereby opting for a change of power. Yoon’s main rival from the ruling Democratic Party, Lee Jae Myung, conceded defeat and congratulated Yoon. He wants to take responsibility for the outcome of the presidential election.
In a very close neck-and-neck race between the two favorites, 98 percent of the votes cast went to former Attorney General Yoon with 48.6 percent. The left-liberal Lee, who used to be governor of the most populous province of Gyeonggi, came to 47.8 percent. Other applicants were considered to have no chance.
The political novice wins
The 61-year-old Yoon ran as a candidate for the largest opposition party, the People’s Power Party (PPP), and is considered a political newcomer. During the election campaign, he threatened a pre-emptive strike against North Korea. He will succeed in May the liberal incumbent Moon Jae In, who is popular despite not delivering on promises of a peace deal with North Korea. Moon could not run again. By law, presidents in South Korea are elected for a single five-year term.
The presidential election is of enormous importance for the fourth largest economy in Asia. In the country’s presidential system, almost all important decisions are made through the head of state. The election was also considered an assessment of the current government. Above all, scandals involving former government officials and galloping real estate prices had hit Moon’s government hard. The PPP, which suffered a clear defeat in the election five years ago, benefited from this.
Economic upswing as a community
In addition to the course of economic policy over the next five years, the election also dealt with dealing with the communist leadership in North Korea, cooperation with the ally, the USA, and the difficult relationship with Japan. South Korea also sees itself in a difficult position in the trade war between the USA and China. Yoon, who accused the government of failing to deal with North Korea, is expected to take a tougher stance against Pyongyang.
Both candidates had set themselves the goal of a significant economic recovery from the consequences of the corona pandemic. According to preliminary information from the National Electoral Commission, turnout was 77.1 percent and thus only slightly below the turnout in the 2017 presidential election. Almost 44.2 million eligible voters were called upon to cast their votes for the election.