Conservative Yoon Wins South Korea's Presidential Vote
Yoon Seok-youl, a conservative former prosecutor and relative political newcomer, will become South Korea’s next president.
Yoon defeated his liberal rival, ex-provincial governor Lee Jae-myung, in a bitterly contested election that many observers say was one of the ugliest in South Korea’s 35-year-old democracy.
With 98% of votes counted from the Wednesday election, Yoon led Lee by about 260,000 votes. At about 4:00 a.m. local time Thursday, Lee conceded defeat.
Yoon will take over the world’s 10th largest economy, and Asia’s fourth largest, during a time of deepening social division and economic challenges. He will become president in May, replacing Moon Jae-in, who was limited to a single five-year term.
On foreign policy, Yoon has promised a tougher stance toward North Korea, which has recently ramped up provocative missile tests, and China, which is South Korea’s largest trading partner. Yoon also vows to improve South Korea’s relationship with Japan, its former colonial ruler, and to prioritize Seoul’s alliance with Washington.
Perhaps Yoon’s most striking domestic initiative is his promise to eliminate South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. During the campaign, Yoon courted young men, many of whom oppose feminism. Yoon has said there is “no structural discrimination” against women, despite South Korea being at or near the bottom of most global rankings on gender equality in developed countries.
The 61-year-old Yoon came to political prominence as he led the investigation of former South Korean president Park Geun-hye, who was impeached in 2017 and convicted on corruption charges. Park, a conservative icon, was the daughter of longtime military dictator Park Chung-hee, who was assassinated.
