Who is Lee Jae Myung? South Korea's new president and his rags to riches story
Lee Jae-myung is once again in the spotlight after winning South Korea's
presidential election
. After the country's former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached for trying to impose martial law, Lee became the leading candidate to take over.
Lee, from the opposition Democratic Party, became a central figure during the political crisis last December, when he live-streamed himself jumping over the fence of the National Assembly to help stop Yoon's emergency order. 'It was a race against time,' he later said in an interview with news agency AFP.
Earlier this year, Lee survived a knife attack at a public event. The man who stabbed him admitted he wanted to kill Lee to stop him from becoming president.
Who is Lee Jae-myung?
The 60 years old Lee grew up in poverty and had to quit school early to work in a factory. He injured his arm in an accident there but went on to earn a scholarship, study law, and become a lawyer. His life story, from hardship to high office, earned him strong support among working-class voters.
Lee first entered politics as mayor of Seongnam, just south of Seoul. He shut down South Korea's biggest dog meat market, which once sold 80,000 dogs a year.
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Later, as governor of Gyeonggi Province, the country's most populated region, he built a reputation for being outspoken and bold.
However, he's also faced many controversies. He's currently fighting corruption charges linked to a property deal and is accused of spreading false information during the 2022 election, which he narrowly lost. His rival, Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party, says Lee should not be allowed to run, 'With these kinds of corruption allegations, how can you seek public office?' he said in a debate.
Lee's wife, Kim Hye-kyung, has defended him. 'He's someone who's come up from the very bottom,' she said. 'Just like how a flea has to jump to be noticed, I hope people can understand and view him in that context.'
Before elections, Lee said that he wanted to advance South Korea's artificial intelligence industry and punish those involved in the failed martial law attempt.
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