Conservative opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol succeeds Moon Jae-in as president of South Korea. The 60-year-old challenger won the election by a narrow margin against Lee Jae-myung, who ran on behalf of the ruling party. The turnout was about 77 percent.
Yoon won nearly 48 percent of the vote, according to international news agencies. In a victory speech, he said he wanted to work with the opposition in the coming years. Yoon’s opponent Lee Jae-myung of the center-left Democratic party admitted his defeat after nearly all votes were counted.
Yoon, who is not an experienced politician, will lead the country for the next five years on behalf of the People Power Party (PPP). Before entering politics, Yoon was a prominent prosecutor in South Korea. He was instrumental in the conviction of former President Park Geun-Hye, who was jailed for corruption.
He is expected to want to cooperate more with the United States and to take a tough stance on neighboring North Korea.
Income inequality
In the field of domestic politics, he has to deal with the large income inequality between South Koreans. In addition, many residents of the country struggle with a high debt.
The White House has since congratulated Yoon. “The alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, our economies and our people is rock solid,” Washington said.
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