Outspoken liberal leader Lee elected South Korea’s president, closing period of political tumult
Outspoken liberal leader Lee elected South Korea’s president, closing period of political tumult
Pre-election surveys suggest liberal Lee Jae-myung appears headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon’s martial law debacle.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lee Jae-myung, who rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea’s leading liberal politician vowing to fight inequality and corruption, will become the country’s next president on Wednesday after an election that closed one of the most turbulent chapters in the young democracy.
Lee, 60, the candidate of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, is taking office for a full, single five-year term, succeeding Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was felled over his stunning yet brief imposition of martial law in December.
Pretty standard reversal of fortune for the conservatives. They've been ousted in scandal after scandal, dating back to the OG Syngman Rhee administration.
The Parks and the Yoons cultivate a powerful base of support with the six billionaire families and their Cult church allies that effectively own S. Korea. They do clown shit, get ousted, and then spend a few years in the political doghouse.
But the liberals never bother to fully prosecute or dismantle the corrupt oligarchy that backs these guys. So they always come creeping back into power again.
Good for him, love to see a success story like this. Hopefully he does something about the rampant racism.
Care to elaborate on rampant racism? Lived in SoKo for fifteen years as a foreigner and haven't noticed much of it myself.
It is apparently focused on black people. White people are seen as superior for some reason. https://unbiasthenews.org/heard-but-not-seen-being-black-in-south-korea/ This is a few years old, but I don't imagine too much has changed. I've never been to Korea, I'm no expert on it or anything, but I'm inclined to believe Mr. Pinnacle.
Apparently the much bigger issue is that their population curve is irrecoverable. There won't even be anyone to be racist in a few short decades.
Certainly isn't closed but it's a great step.
We still have yet to see whether he will go to prison for corruption before he settles into his presidency.