South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung vows economic revival, judgment on martial law
South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae-myung began his term on Wednesday, vowing to raise the country from the turmoil of a martial law crisis and revive an economy reeling from slowing growth and the threat of global protectionism.
Lee's decisive victory in Tuesday's snap election stands to usher in a sea change in Asia's fourth-largest economy after backlash against a botched attempt at military rule brought down Yoon Suk Yeol three years into his troubled presidency.
He faces what could be the most daunting set of challenges for a South Korean leader in nearly three decades, ranging from healing a country deeply scarred by the martial law attempt to tackling unpredictable protectionist moves by the US, a major trading partner and security ally.
With 100% of the ballots counted, Lee won 49.42% of the nearly 35-million votes cast while conservative rival Kim Moon-soo took 41.15% in the polls that brought the highest turnout for a presidential election since 1997, according to national election commission data.
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