South Korea election live: How events unfolded

Nikkei Asia

3 days ago

SEOUL -- South Koreans voted Tuesday in an out-of-cycle presidential election, following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched attempt to impose martial law in early December.
Front-runner Lee Jae-myung of the left-leaning Democratic Party prevailed over Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party.
Here are some of our recent articles on this pivotal election.
- Japan wary of a possible Lee Jae-myung presidency in South Korea
-
- What happened to South Korea's progressive movement?
Here's how events unfolded (South Korea time):
Wednesday, June 4
11:52 a.m. Lee also made a subtle reference to overcoming South Korea's deeply divided political culture while pledging a pragmatic approach to governance.
"If needed and if useful, I will use the policies of Park Chung-hee or Kim Dae-jung without distinction," he said.
Park and Kim are former presidents and icons of the right and left, respectively. Park Chung-hee is a polarizing figure in Korea, and father of impeached President Park Geun-hye.
11:48 a.m. Some more excerpts here from Lee's speech:
"We will begin by restoring livelihoods and reviving the economy. With the resolve to face off this economic hardship head-on, we will immediately activate a task force on emergency economic response. Using national finances as a catalyst, we will restart a virtuous economic cycle. The newly launched Democratic administration under Lee Jae-myung will be a government of justice, unity and pragmatic flexibility."
"We will not be a government that restricts and controls, but one that supports and encourages. To ensure creative and proactive business activity, regulation will be reformed around a negative-list system. The government will firmly support our entrepreneurs, enabling them to start businesses freely, grow, and compete in the global market."
11:42 a.m. Lee's inauguration speech was replete for calls for the South Korean public to put antagonism aside and unify with common interests in mind. "From now on, there are no problems for progressives. From now on, there are no problems for conservatives. There are only the problems of the people and of the Republic of Korea," Lee said.
11:25 a.m. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also congratulates Lee.
11:07 a.m. The inauguration ceremony begins. Lee and others pledge allegiance to the flag, and sing the national anthem. Lee is now taking his presidential oath of office.
10:34 a.m. Lee looks like he's on his way to the ceremony.
9:34 a.m. And here's a chart showing the margin of victory.
9:26 a.m. Speaking to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed a desire to hold a summit with Lee "as soon as possible."
9:17 a.m. Clearly not everyone around the U.S. administration is happy about Lee's victory. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who is thought to be close to Trump, posted the below statement on X.
9:10 a.m. South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index and the tech-heavy Kosdaq index both rose more than 1% at Wednesday's market open. Analysts expect South Korean share prices to rise now that a political overhang has been removed. The newly elected President Lee promised on the campaign trail to improve corporate governance to boost corporate valuations. While his vow to raise the benchmark KOSPI index to 5,000, which is around 80% higher than the current level, is seen as a stretch, it is viewed as another indication of his commitment.
8:48 a.m. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also congratulated Lee in a statement published in Japanese on the foreign ministry's website.
"I sincerely congratulate you on your inauguration as president.
Japan and South Korea are important neighboring countries that should cooperate as partners in addressing various challenges facing the international community. Under the current strategic environment, the importance of Japan-South Korea relations remains unchanged. Trilateral cooperation among Japan, South Korea, and the United States is also vital.
I hope we can further develop the Japan-South Korea relationship based on the foundation built since the normalization of diplomatic ties in 1965. I wish to maintain close communication between our two governments while valuing people-to-people exchanges, so that our bilateral relations can move forward in a stable manner."
(Nikkei Asia translation)
8:26 a.m. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Lee in a statement.
"We congratulate President Lee Jae-myung on his election as the 14th president of the Republic of Korea (ROK).
The United States and the Republic of Korea share an ironclad commitment to the Alliance grounded in our Mutual Defense Treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties. We are also modernizing the Alliance to meet the demands of today's strategic environment and address new economic challenges.
We will also continue to deepen U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience, and defend our shared democratic principles."
6:45 a.m. Lee Jae-myung's inauguration will take place at 11 a.m., the Ministry of the Interior and Safety says.
6:21 a.m. Lee Jae-myung has been certified as South Korea's president-elect by the National Election Commission.
1:41 a.m. Conservative candidate Kim Moon-soo concedes defeat, congratulating winner Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party.
"I humbly accept the decision of the public," Kim says in televised remarks. "I offer my sincere congratulations to President-elect Lee Jae-myung on his victory."
1:14 a.m. Lee Jae-myung addresses his supporters near the National Assembly in Yeouido, in western Seoul. "Let's embark on a new departure," he says. "The people who didn't support us are also citizens of the Republic of Korea. Let's go together."
12:53 a.m. At 12:50 a.m., with 69% of votes counted, Lee led the race with 48.54% of tallied ballots having been cast for him, ahead of Kim's 42.94%, according to the National Election Commission.
12:20 a.m. Former liberal President Moon Jae-in congratulated Lee Jae-myung's win in a social media post late Tuesday. "It is the public's great decision," he said. "This is a stern judgment on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's total failure in governance and its insurrectionary actions that shook the nation. It is also the result of the public's earnest desire for a new Republic of Korea."
12:05 a.m. Lee Jae-myung appeared before supporters and the press in front of his residence at around 11:45 p.m.
"If this result is confirmed, I would like to express my respect for the public's great decision," he said. "I will do my best to fulfill the great responsibility and mission and not disappoint the public's expectations. Thank you."
Tuesday, June 3
11:46 p.m. All three major broadcasters -- KBS, MBC and SBS -- said Lee Jae-myung has won.
11:22 p.m. All three major broadcasters -- KBS, MBC and SBS -- said Lee Jae-myung will likely win the race.
11:18 p.m. Preparations are underway for an inauguration ceremony, probably sometime on Wednesday.
11:04 p.m. At 11:00 p.m., with slightly more than 25% of the ballots counted, Lee had garnered 4,257,772 votes while Kim trailed with 3,892,868. Expressed as percentage, 47.95% of the counted votes had gone in Lee's favor, ahead of 43.84% for Kim.
10:40 p.m. New Reform Party Lee Jun-seok greets supporters at the National Assembly.
10:40 p.m. As of 10:40 p.m., with roughly 18% of votes counted, Lee led Kim by 3,062,719 votes to 2,872,137, according to the National Election Commission. The data does not specify where the votes were cast, and Lee's lead appears to be widening as the count ticks up.
10:18 p.m. Lee Jae-myung's supporters are waiting for him in front his residence in Incheon, near Seoul, waiting for him to make an appearance. Lee's Democratic Party started its voting count event near the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, as scheduled at 10 p.m. Cameras following Kim Moon-soo of the People People Party are waiting for him in front of his apartment in Seoul.
9:56 p.m. Vote counting continues.
9:39 p.m. The final voter turnout was 79.4%, up 2.3 percentage points from the previous presidential election in 2022 and the highest in 28 years, according to the National Election Commission.
9:20 p.m. Na Kyung-won, a high-profile member of the People Power Party, told local broadcaster KBS that she was "rather shocked" by exit polls. "It's disappointing that the difference is quite large," she said. "I will wait quietly for the final results."
9:17 p.m. Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party spoke to reporters in front of his house in Gyeonggi Province: "I am sorry that I was not able to fully deliver the hopes and expectations of the younger generation. I sincerely thank the public for the support they have given me. I will continue to repay this favor and do politics. I will study and learn more through this election and further improve in the areas where I can to contribute to the Republic of Korea and politics."
8:52 p.m. Cameras following Lee Jae-myung are now showing the front of his house; almost everyone has left the venue where the Democratic Party members had gathered to watch exit polls. Lee and his party members seem to be preparing to head to Yeouido in western Seoul where the National Assembly is located.
On the other hand, cameras are still showing the venue where members of Kim Moon-soo's party are watching vote counting, although Kim is not there.
8:38 p.m. The acting leader of the Democratic Party said South Koreans had made a "fiery judgment against the insurrection regime" after exit polls showed a strong lead for the party over their conservative rival, Reuters reported. Park Chan-dae made the comments to KBS TV.
8:33 p.m. Though the exit poll showed Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party garnering just 7.7% of all votes, the poll forecast him to be the top vote getter among men in their late teens and 20s.
The three broadcasters projected Lee to win 37.2% of young men's votes, leading Kim Moon-soo with 36.9% and far ahead of Lee Jae-myung with 24%. It was the only group that Lee Jun-seok held a lead in, the exit poll showed.
In contrast, only 10.3% of women in their late teens and 20s were projected to have voted for him. Lee Jae-myung led among young women with a commanding 58.1%. Lee Jun-seok made his name as a politician by directly appealing to young men, whom he described as unjustly suffering the effects of what he called feminism. Civic groups representing women's interests have accused Lee of misogynistic messaging.
8:29 p.m. In exit polls by three smaller broadcasters, Lee Jae-myung is enjoying a comfortable lead over Kim Moon-soo. Support for Lee ranges between 49.2% and 51.1%, while backing for Kim falls between 38.9% and 41.7%, according to MBN, Channel A and JTBC.
8:26 p.m. Supporters of Lee seem much happier.
8:18 p.m. By voter age, the exit poll by the three broadcasters showed Lee leading Kim among all age brackets of voters in their 50s and younger. His most pronounced advantage was among voters in their 40s, where he held an advantage over Kim of slightly more than 50%. Kim held a narrow advantage in the 60s age group and bested Lee by 30% among voters in their 70s.
8:13 p.m. Read our main story on the election here. It will be updated throughout the evening.
8:10 p.m. Supporters of Kim Moon-soo appear to be disheartened by the projections.
8:01 p.m. Exit polls by three major broadcasters project victory for Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party, edging out his rival Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party by 51.7% to 39.3%.
8 p.m. Polls close. Now we await exit polls, projections and results.
7:42 p.m. As of 7 p.m., voter turnout stood at 77.8%, surpassing the figure recorded in the previous presidential election, according to the National Election Commission. Polls close at 8 p.m.
7:03 p.m. Less than an hour to go now.
6:46 p.m. And some photos from earlier in the day:
6:42 p.m. Celebrities are also getting involved. Jin of BTS cast his vote in Seoul this morning. Karina of the popular girl band Aespa caused a stir online last week after she posted a photo of her in a red jacket with the number 2 embedded on it. Speculators alleged she was hinting at her support for Kim Moon-soo of the PPP -- Kim's party color is red and he is No. 2 on the candidate list. She denied any correlation between her fashion choice and her political views.
6:15 p.m. Take a look at a video we took inside a voting station in Seoul earlier.
6:08 p.m. As of 6 p.m., voter turnout was recorded at 76.1%, one percentage point below the figure logged in the previous presidential election in 2022, according to the National Election Commission. The figure includes early voting that took place on Thursday and Friday.
6 p.m. Just two hours now until polls close.
5 p.m. On election day, both of the main candidates continued with messaging they had drawn on throughout the campaign, depicting themselves as bulwarks against chaos.
Poll leader Lee Jae-myung wrote in a public message on Tuesday afternoon that voting was the way to save South Korea from "greed of vested interests," though he did not specify what vested interests he was referring to. "Please come forward again as citizens of the Republic of Korea, I earnestly implore you," Lee wrote.
Conservative candidate Kim Moon-soo wrote a message on his Facebook page pledging to "block a monstrous dictatorship" while protecting "free democracy, the rule of law, the market economy and the [South] Korea-U.S. alliance."
2:20 p.m. As of 2 p.m., 65.5% of eligible voters had cast their ballots, which was 0.7 percentage point higher than the previous presidential election in 2022, Yonhap news agency reported, citing figures from the National Election Commission.
The 2022 contest logged the highest voter turnout in the history of South Korean elections, raising the possibility of record-setting turnout in Tuesday's polls. One factor in the high turnout could be the weather, as warm temperatures and clear conditions are forecast across the country. In Seoul, the temperature currently stands at around 24C with sunshine and low levels of fine-dust air pollution, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
1 p.m. South Korea's National Police Agency said it will station 28,590 police officers across the polling stations, according to the Yonhap news agency. Police said they would maintain the "highest level of emergency security," with all personnel on standby until the newly elected president enters office.