Lee Jae-myung wins South Korean presidency, pledging to pursue peace with North | NK News
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June 26, 2025Jun 26, 2025
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Lee Jae-myung wins South Korean presidency, pledging to pursue peace with North

Dominant victory ends leadership vacuum since Yoon’s impeachment that has stymied Seoul’s response to DPRK and Trump
Jeongmin Kim | Joon Ha Park June 3, 2025
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Lee Jae-myung wins South Korean presidency, pledging to pursue peace with North
Lee Jae-myung at his final campaign rally in Yeouido on June 2, 2025 | Image: Democratic Party

Opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung cruised to victory in South Korea’s snap presidential election on Tuesday, ending an extended leadership vacuum that has stymied Seoul’s response to evolving North Korean military threats and the disruptive return of alliance-skeptic Donald Trump.

The country's National Election Commission (NEC) officially announced Lee's victory at 6:21 a.m. local time. Lee started his presidential term immediately after the announcement, taking over commander-in-chief duties from acting president Lee Ju-ho.

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About the Authors

Jeongmin Kim

Jeongmin Kim

Jeongmin Kim is Executive Director at Korea Risk Group, based in Seoul. She covers inter-Korean relations and North and South Korean foreign and military affairs. Kim has covered the 2022 ROK presidential election on the ground, and prior to joining NK News, she worked for the CSIS Korea Chair in Washington D.C. and Reuters news agency’s Seoul bureau.

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Joon Ha Park

Joon Ha Park

Joon Ha Park is a correspondent at Korea Risk Group. He has previously written on issues related to the two Koreas at The Peninsula Report, and appeared on ABC News Australia, Deutsche Welle and Monocle Radio. He specializes in offering in-depth analyses of South Korea’s defense policy, security relations and domestic politics for Korea Pro.

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