Lee Jae-myung elected as South Korean president, exit polls say

<p>Man who led campaign to oust Yoon Suk Yeol comfortably ahead of conservative opponent, according to polls</p><p>Exit polls in South Korea have projected that Lee Jae-myung will become the country’s new president after a<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/14/after-chaos-of-the-yoon-era-south-korea-prepares-to-pick-a-new-president-ntwnfb"> snap election</a> triggered by a brief period of martial law imposed by the now-impeached former leader <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/yoon-suk-yeol">Yoon Suk Yeol</a>.</p><p>After polls closed in what Lee described as “judgment day” for Asia’s fourth-biggest economy, the broadcaster MBN put Lee, the Democratic party candidate, on 49.2% of the vote, comfortably ahead of his closest rival, the conservative Kim Moon-soo, on 41.7%. A joint exit poll by three other broadcasters showed Lee with 51.7% and Kim with 39.3%.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/03/lee-jae-myung-elected-as-south-korean-president-exit-polls-say">Continue reading...</a>