South Korea's next leader?

Lee Jae Myung is favourite after riding a wave of discontent but he must bring the stability that his nation sorely needs

- SHWETA SHARMA

Just three years after narrowly losing the presidential election to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, Lee Jae Myung has emerged, phoenix-like, as the likely new leader of South Korea. Such a prospect appeared unlikely until a few months ago, as the leader of the liberal Democratic Party grappled with a raft of legal troubles and scandals.

But after Yoon made a botched attempt to place South Korea under martial law in December and, as a consequence, was impeached out of office, Lee projected himself as a protector of the democratic order and started to gain in public polls. Now, a few days out from the 3 June election, Lee, 61, is the clear frontrunner in the race to succeed Yoon in a deeply polarised and politically weary nation.

His rise to the cusp of power, though, also raises a critical question: is he the steady hand South Korea needs when the corruption investigations and abuse of power allegations against him are certain to cast a shadow over his presidency?

Lee, described by his advisers as a “gladiator in a suit”, moved quickly into the spotlight as he aggressively countered Yoon’s disastrous martial law decree. During the crisis in late 2024, he climbed onto the fence of the National Assembly building to evade the president’s security guards and documented the chaos on a livestream.

Analysts remain sceptical about his ability to provide the stable leadership the country needs. While he is campaigning as a pragmatist focused on domestic issues, his record of confrontational politics, ongoing legal troubles and polarising rhetoric raise doubts about his capacity to unite a divided nation.

“Lee appears to be holding the lead against his main conservative rival. His legal problems cast a shadow, and depending on developments, South Korea’s political leadership problems may continue even if he wins the election,” Naoko Aoki, political scientist at RAND, tells The Independent.