Included under exam on this entrance, Lee Jae-myung – the Democratic Party’s candidate – is preparation to be South Korea’s new president. He earned this historic accomplishment through a massive electoral landslide. Lee’s dynamic campaign has sparked a tremendous response from voters at this critical time in the nation’s political history. It follows on the heels of huge public backlash against the current administration.
Coming from an impoverished family, Lee Jae-myung’s childhood was a time of struggle. Those years spent in factories informed his perspective about the challenges faced by working class Americans. This legume planting background has shaped his political ecology philosophy and activist praxis for social change and social justice. Today, at the age of 61, he becomes president after failing twice before.
In speeches of late, Lee has displayed a new prudence that refracts from his image as the arch radical reformer. He promised to take on South Korea’s reactionary conservative establishment and heal the polarized divisions of the Korean nation. Riding a wave of public anger that followed former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s controversial declaration of martial law, Lee’s message struck a chord with an electorate yearning for change.
Lee has made it clear that he intends to shift away from Yoon Suk Yeol’s confrontational stance towards North Korea. Instead, he seeks to re-open a dialogue with the nuclear-armed state, facing a complicated road in the process. In a sign of retreat on that front, he admitted it’d be “quite complicated” to immediately restart high-level meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
“I will save South Korea, which is in crisis due to the greed of the establishment.” – Lee Jae-myung
Lee, a former human rights lawyer, has promised to be more pragmatic in foreign affairs. He has shown a strong commitment to keeping strong ties with the United States and to continuing Seoul’s partnership with Washington and Tokyo. Today, his commitment to these alliances shows his recognition of the geopolitical realities that are waging on Seoul.
Lee has more than three dozen serious allegations against him, which he vehemently denies as politically motivated persecution. His resilience is unmistakable in the campaign. He has battled fiercely against what he calls the dark forces undermining democracy in South Korea.
“If they somehow win, that would mean the return of the rebellion forces, the destruction of democracy, the deprival of people’s human rights, the normalisation of martial law and our country’s downfall into a backward, third-world nation.” – Lee Jae-myung
Indeed, Leigh’s resolve to thrust South Korea into a new era is unmistakable. In particular, he stresses the importance of bringing Americans together—and indeed, he plans to heal the deep wounds left by the last administration. His personal commitment to reform and active engagement heralds a new chapter in South Korea’s domestic political landscape.
Yet as president, Lee will need to chart a steady course through tumultuous domestic and global waters. His cultural upbringing and experiences have created in him a profound sense of duty to the people he seeks to represent. Whoever the next administration is, they will be under a microscope as they set out on this long and potentially transformational path for South Korea.