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New stability, and a swing left, in South Korea election result
Time
|June 23, 2025
SOUTH KOREA'S presidential election delivered a resounding triumph for Lee Jae-myung, the veteran center-left leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DP).
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Lee Jae-myung before addressing Democratic Party supporters on election night in Seoul on June 4
His victory on June 3 closes a tumultuous chapter in South Korea's politics marked by former President Yoon Suk-yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law, impeachment, and removal from office. It also ushers in a left-leaning administration with wide latitude to govern, and sets the stage for a dramatic re-orientation of the country's domestic and foreign policy.
Lee takes office with a rare advantage in South Korea's often fractious politics: a unified government. The DP holds a majority in the National Assembly until at least 2028, when legislative elections are due, giving Lee power to enact his agenda without the checks, and gridlock, that stymied his predecessor. Though he campaigned on a centrist message to broaden his appeal, Lee's margin of victory will allow him to claim a strong political mandate and govern as a progressive.
This story is from the June 23, 2025 edition of Time.
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