Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party will become the next president of South Korea, capping a stunning rise for the political neophyte who has pledged to take a harder line toward “main enemy” North Korea, in a departure from the engagement-focused inter-Korean policy of the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration.
The former prosecutor general, who will replace the president whom he famously clashed with over prosecutorial reform, won a tightly contested election on Wednesday with 48.6% of the vote against 47.8% for primary progressive opponent Lee Jae-myung, according to South Korea’s National Election Commission. Final voter turnout was 77.1% – similar to the previous election in 2017.
Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party will become the next president of South Korea, capping a stunning rise for the political neophyte who has pledged to take a harder line toward “main enemy” North Korea, in a departure from the engagement-focused inter-Korean policy of the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration.
The former prosecutor general, who will replace the president whom he famously clashed with over prosecutorial reform, won a tightly contested election on Wednesday with 48.6% of the vote against 47.8% for primary progressive opponent Lee Jae-myung, according to South Korea’s National Election Commission. Final voter turnout was 77.1% – similar to the previous election in 2017.
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