By Joyce Lee and Ju-min Park
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea woke on Wednesday to a new liberal president, Lee Jae-myung, who vowed to raise the country from the turmoil of a martial law crisis and revive an economy reeling from slowing growth and the threat of global protectionism.
Lee’s decisive victory in Tuesday’s snap election stands to usher in a sea change in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, after backlash against a botched attempt at military rule brought down Yoon Suk Yeol just three years into his troubled presidency.
With 100% of the ballots counted, Lee had won 49.42% of the nearly 35 million votes cast while conservative rival Kim Moon-soo had taken 41.15% in the polls that brought the highest turnout for a presidential election since 1997, according to National Election Commission data.
The 61-year-old former human rights lawyer called Tuesday’s election “judgment day” against Yoon’s martial law and his People Power Party’s failure to stop the ill-fated move.
“The first mission is to decisively overcome insurrection and to ensure there will never be another military coup with guns and swords turned against the people,” Lee said in a victory speech outside parliament.
“We can overcome this temporary difficulty with the combined strength of our people, who have great capabilities,” he said.
Lee was officially confirmed as president by the National Election Commission early on Wednesday and immediately assumed the powers of the presidency and commander in chief.
An abbreviated inauguration is planned at parliament within hours of the official confirmation.
A slate of economic and social challenges await the new leader, including a society deeply scarred by divisions following the martial law attempt and an export-heavy economy reeling from unpredictable protectionist moves by the United States, a major trading partner and a security ally.
The martial law decree and the six months of ensuing turmoil, which saw three different acting presidents and multiple criminal insurrection trials for Yoon and several top officials, marked a stunning political self-destruction for the former leader and a drag on an economy already slowing in growth.
Lee has pledged to boost investment in innovation and technology to fuel the country on another growth trajectory while increasing support for middle and low-income families.
Lee is expected to be more conciliatory toward China and North Korea, and has pledged to continue the Yoon-era engagement with Japan.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee, Ju-min Park, Daewoung Kim, Yeobin Park, Hyunsu Yim, and Ju-min ParkWriting by Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Josh SmithEditing by Sandra Maler)
