Conservative Yuk Suk-yol, South Korea’s new president | World | D.W.

Conservative opposition leader Eun-suk-yol was elected President of South Korea on Wednesday (03.09.2022), according to the National Election Commission. His ruling rival, the liberal Lee Jae-myung, conceded defeat, according to the Yonhap news agency. After counting 98% of the vote, Yoon “received 48.59% of the vote in the People’s Power Party (PPP) and 47.79% in the League”, according to Yonhap from the Democratic Party (center-left) of current President Moon Jae-in.

The victory of Eun, who will replace Liberal Moon Jae-in for the next five years, marks a shift to the right and breaks the ten-year alternate cycle between conservatives and progressives in the country. In 1987 he restored democracy. Yoon is due to take office on May 10.

These presidential elections, with 77.1% (one tenth less than in the 2017 election) votes, were decided by a margin of about 260,000 votes, the closest election since the South Koreans returned to vote freely. 35 years ago.

Yun made a dazzling career as a lawyer for 25 years, during which time he hired some of the most powerful people in the country and was imprisoned for corrupting former conservative presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye. From office in 2017.

After being appointed Attorney General during the current President Moon’s term, Yoon filed a lawsuit against then-Justice Minister Choo Cook and confronted the administration, resigning early last year and formalizing his candidacy for this election by mid-2021.

Yun seems to have taken advantage of the moon’s dissatisfaction with large sections of the population due to factors such as the real estate crisis, temporary job increases and inequality or fatigue caused by continued anti – Govt restrictions. The country adds about 300,000 cases a day) and small business has been harmed.

lgc (afp / efe)