Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, has been confirmed as the winner of the 21st presidential election held on the 3rd.
This presidential election was held as a by-election due to the vacancy in the presidency. Accordingly, the National Election Commission will hold a full committee meeting between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. on the 4th to pass a resolution for 'confirmation of election', after which the candidate will immediately assume the status of president.
As of 2:30 a.m. on the 4th, with 93.8% of the vote counting completed, this candidate obtained 48.8% of the valid votes, leading over Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, who garnered 42.1%. Achieving the 'magic number', which ensures that the outcome does not change even if all remaining votes go to Kim Moon-soo, confirmed Lee Jae-myung's election.
Upon confirmation of his election early that morning around 1:10 a.m. in Yeouido, Seoul, this candidate expressed his feelings of election by stating, "I will fulfill my mission to restore democracy and ensure that citizens are respected as sovereigns within a democratic republican community, living together through cooperation."
He further emphasized, "The first mission you entrusted to me is to overcome insurrection and ensure that there is no military coup that intimidates the people with the arms entrusted by them."
This candidate rose from dire poverty, even calling himself 'not a dirt spoon but a no spoon.' Rather than being a hindrance, poverty became a driving force for survival, leading him to become a human rights lawyer through relentless study in his quest to escape a bottom-dwelling life.
After engaging in civic movements, he felt the need for the power to change the world and entered politics, serving as both a mayor and a provincial governor before being elected president.
The first time this candidate challenged in a presidential election was during the 19th presidential election in 2017 (as a candidate of the Democratic Party), but he was knocked out in the preliminaries, coming in third behind Moon Jae-in.
Subsequently, on July 1, 2021, he declared his candidacy for the 20th presidential election. He was ultimately selected as the Democratic Party's candidate on October 10 of the same year, but lost to former President Yoon Seok-youl (then a candidate of the People Power Party) by a mere 0.73%. The margin of votes was 247,077, marking the smallest gap in history. This was recorded as the case where the most votes were obtained after the implementation of direct elections but still resulted in a defeat in the presidential election.
In this 21st presidential election, he declared his early candidacy after stepping down from his position as the Democratic Party's leader on April 9 of this year. He was selected as the Democratic Party's candidate once again with an overwhelming vote rate of 89.77% in the preliminaries.
Since the presidential race intensified in early April, this candidate has consistently maintained the top position in major polls regarding 'the next president.' In hypothetical head-to-head matchups against major candidates of the People Power Party, he has predicted victory by receiving over 50% support.
In the political arena, the factors contributing to this candidate's election are seen as public sentiment continuing from the previous year's 12.3 martial law and impeachment crisis involving former President Yoon Seok-youl. Despite some moderate and conservative voters' 'anti-Lee Jae-myung' sentiment, his successful expansion into the moderate segment is cited as the most effective factor.
Political commentator Choi Soo-young said in a phone interview with ChosunBiz, "This candidate successfully expanded his base from the early stages of the preliminaries. He even mentioned, 'I am a moderate conservative,' achieving territorial expansion for his faction. At the same time, by actively recruiting conservative figures such as Yoon Yeojun and Kwon Oh-eul, he worked to align his image with reality."
He added, "Even if a final consolidation of 'factions' occurs, it ultimately comes down to how many moderate votes can be attracted, and he has effectively secured a foothold for victory early on."
Factors for Kim's loss include failing to clearly delineate from former President Yoon, as well as being unable to sever ties with Pastor Jeong Kwang-hoon, resulting in a failure to expand into the moderate segment due to perceived ties with the far-right and new right.
Kim held a press conference at the party's office in Yeouido early that morning, stating, "I will not forget the warm support from the citizens who have sent me messages during this time. I thank the party members who ran alongside me." He also conveyed to this candidate, "Congratulations to the elected Lee Jae-myung."
Notably, low voter turnout in the TK (Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province) region, often referred to as a 'stronghold of conservatism,' is also cited as a factor for Kim's defeat. The People Power Party aimed for a turnout and vote percentage of 80% in TK, but the final turnout was only 78.3% in Daegu and 77.4% in North Gyeongsang Province.
Considering that the voter turnout for this election (provisional estimate of 79.4%) is 4.3 percentage points higher than the 75.1% in the 20th election, it is marked as a painful point for conservative parties. A source in the political arena commented, "In a word, the Nakdong River belt has collapsed."
Meanwhile, this candidate will complete the two-month transition process that historically takes place for presidents in just one day on the 4th.
Starting with a visit to the National Seoul Cemetery, he is expected to go through a busy schedule including a brief inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly's Rotunda around noon.
In the afternoon, he is expected to make calls with the leaders of major countries, including President Donald Trump of the United States, from his office prepared in the Yongsan presidential office. As this candidate had initially announced a 'return to the Blue House', he will temporarily use the Yongsan presidential office until the renovation work at the Blue House is completed.