Description: Democratic party and liberal presidential candidate Lee Jae – Myung was elected as South Korea’s new president, inheriting a country plagued by political turmoil and economic destabilization. Lee would immediately be inaugurated and would face mounting challenges such as the economic inequality in the country, Trump’s tariffs and the ever-persistent threats from North Korea. His pre – election political pledges stated that the new President would moderately approach growing threats to his country and would enforce diplomatic resolution with North Korea instead of a constant military buildup and bilateral posturing. Lee’s personal file is also filled with checkered and disputable events as he also faces criminal charges on corruption, misuse of public funds and was accused of directly siphoning money to the North Korean regime. Lee rode his presidential campaign on the back of a growing public outcry against the former impeached conservative President, Yoon Suk Yeol, and managed to garner support from the undecisive voters which eventually led to him becoming the next President. Lee’s political opponents are fearful and critical towards his style of governance as many have stated that he might abuse the office of the President as a political persecution tool and also emphasized the issue that the criminal charges against him impose on the future of the country. His first order of business would be directly addressing the country’s simmering economy stemmed from Trump’s tariffs while strategizing on existential threats such as North Korea.
Impact: Lee’s election as South Korea’s next President further obscures the signals around the country’s exponentially prolonged political crisis. South Korea was placed in a precarious position with the election of Donald Trump, as the US President publicly questioned the US engagement especially in matters of defense in the country. Lee would have to immediately engage multiple growing threats towards South Korea’s stability, as he would have to carefully maneuver around Trump’s tariff demands in order to repair the country’s stagnant economy while remaining diplomatically engaged with the US, ensuring continued military support as a response to growing threats from China. The North Korean issue is widely open as the new President can’t directly enforce dialogue between the archrivals, with North Korea’s nuclear capacities significantly enlarged since the last diplomatic efforts in 2019 were made by US President Donald Trump. The filed criminal charges against the new President pose a significant threat which could considerably impact the country’s internal stability and protract the ongoing political crisis even further in case of his impeachment.