Who is Lee Jae-myung? Meet South Korea's newly elected president

Lee Jae-myung, the Liberal candidate contesting in South Korea's snap elections, has reportedly claimed victory on June 3. This victory comes soon after Suk Yeol's impeachment over a failed martial law decree, which plunged the country into a major political crisis. When 70% of the votes were counted, Lee had already held a strong lead at 48.523%, which prompted his election rival, Kim Moon-soo, to concede defeat at an early stage.

Who is Lee Jae-myung, South Korea's winning Presidential candidate?

The journey of Lee Jae-myung has been more of a "rags to riches" story. Born in 1963 into poverty, Lee started factory work after primary school, where he suffered permanent arm injuries in industrial accidents. Later, he earned a law degree through self-study and became a human rights lawyer before entering politics.

His political career began as the mayor of Seongnam in 2010. He later governed the Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous region. He narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon Suk Yeol, but the tables have now turned following the country's political chaos.

During December 2024's martial law crisis, Lee livestreamed climbing the National Assembly fence. This act fueled the movement to impeach Yoon. His campaign centered on preventing future authoritarian overreach. He pledges to revitalize the economy amid US tariff threats. He also seeks constitutional changes allowing two four-year presidential terms.  Lee aims to balance US ties with engagement toward China and North Korea through diplomatic initiatives, according to reports.

However, Lee has also been engaged in some major controversies, especially surrounding alleged bribery and charges related to a property development scandal. According to a CNN report, he was convicted of violating election law in another ongoing case. In this case, it was alleged that he knowingly made false statements during a debate during the previous presidential campaign. However, Lee has denied all charges, claiming that the allegations did not carry any merit, evidence, or basis. He stated that these charges against him were politically motivated, according to his interaction with CNN in December.