ROK's president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 10, 2022, the morning after his victory in the country's presidential election. (KIM HONG-JI / POOL / AFP)
Conservative candidate Yoon Suk-yeol won the Republic of Korea’s 20th presidential election in an extremely tight race, putting him on course to steer Asia’s fourth-largest economy for the next five years.
Yoon, from the main opposition People Power Party, garnered 48.56 percent support in the March 9 election, defeating his liberal rival Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party by a narrow margin, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Based on the final results released by the ROK’s National Election Commission on March 10, Lee took 47.83 percent of the vote.
Incoming ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol said he aims to establish liberal democracy and market economy to overcome a series of unprecedented challenges that ROK is facing, and open a new era of integration and prosperity
The 0.73 percentage-point gap makes the latest presidential election one of the tightest contests in ROK history.
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About 34 million voters among the electorate of 44.2 million people cast their ballots, with a final turnout of 77.1 percent, which was a tad lower than the 77.2 percent turnout seen in 2017. There were two days of early voting, from March 4 to 5.
Yoon is scheduled to be inaugurated on May 10.
In his first public speech as the president-elect, Yoon said on March 10 that the election result shows the call for reform in the country and restoring justice and common sense, as well as the people’s desire for politics of unity, rather than division.
In remarks delivered at the National Assembly Library, Yoon said he aims to establish liberal democracy and market economy to overcome a series of unprecedented challenges that ROK is facing, and open a new era of integration and prosperity.
“By shifting to a people-centered economy instead of a government-led one, more jobs will be created and the middle class will be stronger,” said Yoon.
Apart from providing financial support to small business owners who suffered during the pandemic, Yoon said he will also work on an institutional reform so that the country can be well-prepared for future pandemics.
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ROK’s daily COVID-19 infections exceeded 300,000 for the first time on March 9, when voters went to the polls to elect a new president.
The daily count remained above 300,000 for the second consecutive day on March 10, with the national caseload rising to more than 5.5 million, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, which has raised the pandemic risk level to the highest.
In a phone conversation on March 10, Moon Jae-in, the incumbent ROK president, congratulated Yoon on winning the election, Yonhap News Agency reported. The two are said to have discussed ways to ensure smooth transition of power.
Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee said he wishes Yoon to become a successful president and that the next government will care for and respect people’s will.
Yoon vowed to build a strong defense posture while remaining open to inter-Korean dialogues, which will help ROK contribute to global peace and prosperity.
Media members raise their hand to ask questions as ROK's president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol (right) looks on during a news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 10, 2022, the morning after his victory in the country's presidential election. (KIM HONG-JI / POOL / AFP)
He said he will develop a relationship of mutual respect between ROK and China.
China congratulated Yoon Suk-yeol on being elected as the new president of the ROK, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.
China and the ROK are neighbors and important cooperation partners to each other, Zhao said.
The year 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of diplomatic relations between China and the ROK. Bilateral ties have developed fast over the past three decades, bringing concrete benefits to the two countries and their people.
China hopes to work with the ROK to take the anniversary as an opportunity and promote sound and steady development of bilateral ties, Zhao said.
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David Tizzard, assistant professor of Korean studies at Seoul Women’s University, told China Daily that the most urgent task for Yoon is to focus on people’s livelihoods and welfare as many people have been living under a huge amount of pressure during the pandemic.
“His first responsibility should be the people of the country,” said Tizzard, adding that foreign policy should not be an immediate priority for Yoon to address.
While the election exposed deep divisions among people in different regions, age groups, and gender, Tizzard said Yoon will also need to work with a National Assembly where the opposition has the majority, which makes it important for him to reach across the political divide for the betterment of the people.
Mason Richey, associate professor of international politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, said creating more quality jobs and making it more possible for people to get onto the housing ladder are among issues that people want Yoon to focus on.
“I think …he will have a balanced approach (on domestic and international policies) and obviously at least make an attempt at fixing some of the domestic problems,” Richey told ROK TV network Arirang News on March 10.
Born on Dec 18, 1960 in Seoul, Yoon studied law at the elite Seoul National University and began his career as a public prosecutor in 1994. In 2016, he became the head of the investigation team of an independent council, leading a special probe on a corruption scandal involving former ROK president Park Geun-hye, which eventually led to her impeachment in the following year.
In 2017, Yoon was named as chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office and became a prosecutor general in July 2019. In March 2021, Yoon stepped down from the post and declared his candidacy for president in June that year.
