Victory of Lee Jae-myung in South Korea: the U.S. firmly outlines its interests and readiness to defend them

On June 3, 2025, Lee Jae-myung, the candidate from the left-populist Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), won the snap presidential election in South Korea, securing 49.4% of the votes. His main opponent, Kim Moon-soo, representing the center-right People Power Party (PPP), garnered 41.1% of the votes.

Voter turnout reached 79.3%, the highest since 1997. As a result, both presidential and parliamentary power in South Korea are now concentrated in the hands of the DPK, granting Lee Jae-myung near-unlimited control over domestic and foreign policy. However, local authorities in most regions will remain under PPP control at least until 2026.

Lee Jae-myung’s victory in the presidential election — following the defeat of Yoon Suk-yeol (PPP) by a margin of 0.7% in 2022 — reflects the structural crisis in South Korea’s domestic politics.