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New York Post
3 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
The turbulent life of South Korea's new leader — Lee Jae-myung's rise from child laborer to divisive President
Lee Jae-myung was a child laborer with an arm deformity. He attempted suicide. He later made his way through university and became a highly divisive politician who survived a stabbing attack and struggles with numerous criminal charges. Advertisement 5 Lee Jae-myung, 60, a child laborer with an arm deformity who also attempted suicide, made his way to become a highly divisive politician who survived a stabbing attack and struggles with numerous criminal charges. Getty Images His turbulent life climaxed, as Lee, 60, the candidate of the main liberal Democratic Party, was elected as South Korea's new president to succeed his conservative archrival Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his stunning imposition of martial law. There are both hopes and fears about Lee's win. Advertisement Supporters think he's an able leader who can get things done and fix the country's deep-rooted economic inequality and corruption. But critics say Lee will likely oppress political opponents and intensify a domestic division. Here's a look at Lee, whose single, five-year presidency begins on Wednesday: Childhood poverty After graduating from an elementary school, Lee had to work at various factories in Seongnam, a city near Seoul, because his family couldn't afford his secondary education. Advertisement At a factory manufacturing baseball gloves, he had his left forearm crushed by a press machine, getting a permanent arm disability. Lee said he suffered beating at his factories and hated encountering a girl who was a neighbor when he helped his garbage collector father's work at a traditional market. 5 Jae-myung was elected as the next president of South Korea after Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted after declaring martial law. Getty Images Despaired, Lee tried to kill himself twice, both unsuccessfully. Advertisement He later got back on his feet and entered Seoul's Chung-Ang University with a full scholarship, before he became a human rights lawyer. 'Hopes and ordeals always come together. The roles of ordeals are not getting people to surrender, but testing how serious and desperate their hopes are,' Lee said in a memoir published in 2017. Liberal firebrand Lee later entered politics and became Seongnam mayor and governor of Gyeonggi province. Once a political outsider, Lee rose to prominence in 2016 after he made a series of fiery street speeches criticizing then conservative President Park Geun-hye, who was later removed from office over a corruption scandal. 'Let's seize her with our hands and consign her to history,' Lee said during one rally in December 2016. Many of his comments have since sharply polarized South Koreans. 5 Supporters believe Lee Jae-myung could get things done and help fix the country's economy, while critics believe he will oppress political opponents and create division among party lines. AP Lee vilified South Korea's conservative establishment as greedy 'fake conservatives.' Advertisement He slammed a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea as a source of tensions and likened strengthening U.S.-Japan ties to a 1905 Washington-Tokyo agreement that he said helped Japan colonize the Korean Peninsula later. Lee's proposal of giving a universal basic income to all citizens have invited accusations that he's a populist. In 2022, he lost the hotly contested presidential election to Yoon. In 2024, Lee was attacked by a man who told investigators that he wanted to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president. Foreign policy challenges Advertisement Recently, Lee has made few contentious or radical comments on foreign policy and security issues, and rather has promised to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He's repeatedly described South Korea's alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of the country's foreign policy and stressed the need to maintain a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security partnership. 5 Before becoming president, Jae-myung was the Seongnam mayor and governor of the Gyeonggi province. AFP via Getty Images 'When it comes to what Lee said in the past, we don't know whether he made such comments only to appeal to his supporters or whether they showed his true nature,' said Shin Yul, a politics professor at Seoul's Myonggi University. Advertisement The major issues that Lee will immediately face is U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and other 'America First' policies, and North Korea's advancing nuclear program. They are both vital issues for South Korea, but many experts say there isn't much diplomatic room for South Korea to maneuver in to produce major changes in its favor in both matters. Paik Wooyeal, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, said that Trump is 'too overwhelming and dominant,' so that whoever is in South Korean leadership, the country's dealings with the U.S. won't be much different. He said that foreign policy advisers for Lee would also know that North Korea won't voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons. Advertisement 5 Jae-myung's presidency will begin on Wednesday. AFP via Getty Images Legal woods Lee comes to office under the shadow of his own legal troubles. He stands accused in five trials over corruption and other charges, and at one point, some of his legal battles threatened his bid for presidency. Lee celebrated in March when the Seoul High Court overturned a suspended prison sentence against him for violating the election law during the 2022 race. But he fumed in May when the Supreme Court quashed that ruling and sent the case back to the high court, citing a strong likelihood of his guilt. Hearings at the high court were eventually postponed until after the election. Had his conviction been finalized, Lee would have been barred from running for president. Other trials center around his roles in dubious development projects and illegal money transfers to North Korea, and his alleged misuse of official funds and persuading of a witness to commit perjury. Lee's five trials will likely stop as South Korea's constitution prevents a sitting president from being charged with most crimes. But his rivals will take issue with it, because the constitution doesn't clearly state whether a president can be convicted for crimes in which indictments came before taking up office. Lee's Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, has been pushing to revise the criminal procedure law to suspend ongoing criminal trials involving a sitting president until the end of their term. Conservatives have harshly lambasted the move. National split During the presidential campaign, Lee vowed not to pursue a vendetta against conservatives. However, he has also called for a thorough investigation into Yoon and his inner circle over rebellion allegations. Lee's opponents worry he could use those investigations to clamp down on Yoon associates and prosecutors who he thinks orchestrated inquiries involving his criminal charges. Yoon's martial law stunt intensified a domestic divide. Declaring martial law, Yoon portrayed Lee's party as 'anti-state' forces influenced by North Korea and China. He has also endorsed baseless election fraud theories to discredit the liberals' legislative majority, prompting his angry supporters to pour onto the streets with 'Stop the Steal' signs. Anti-Yoon activists and citizens, for their part, also rallied for weeks to demand his immediate dismissal. With liberals remaining in control of the legislature, Lee faces a far more favorable environment to advance his policies. Conservatives have voiced concern that Lee and the Democratic Party will wield virtually unchecked power to pass legislation previously blocked by Yoon's administration, including bills aimed at strengthening protections for labor unionists against corporate lawsuits and shielding farmers from volatile rice prices.
News18
4 hours ago
- Business
- News18
From Factory Worker To President: All You Need To Know About South Korea's Lee Jae-myung
Last Updated: South Korea Elections: Lee Jae-myung's election comes just six months after he defied military cordons to cast a symbolic vote against a sudden martial law decree. Lee Jae-myung, a former factory worker turned human rights lawyer and liberal stalwart, has been elected president of South Korea. His journey from childhood poverty to the nation's highest office caps a turbulent political era marked by martial law, impeachment and mass protest. Lee Jae-myung's election comes just six months after he defied military cordons to cast a symbolic vote against a sudden martial law decree which galvanized the liberal opposition ultimately leading to the impeachment of conservative Yoon Suk Yeol. Lee Jae-myung's Early Beginnings Born in 1963 in the rural city of Andong, Lee Jae-myung grew up in extreme poverty. He began working in factories at a young age, where he sustained injuries that left him partially disabled. Despite these hardships, he passed equivalency exams and went on to study law at Chung-Ang University, graduating in 1986. Lee Jae-myung built his legal career advocating for human rights and labor protections. He was active in Minbyun, a progressive lawyers' association and became known for championing the rights of marginalized citizens. Lee Jae-myung's Political Rise And Reform Agenda Lee Jae-myung entered politics in the early 2000s and rose through the ranks quickly. He served as mayor of Seongnam from 2010 to 2018 and as governor of Gyeonggi Province from 2018 to 2021. During his tenure, Lee Jae-myung implemented aggressive social welfare programs and gained a reputation for his direct communication style and policy pragmatism. Although he narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, Lee Jae-myung remained a central figure in the liberal Democratic Party eventually reclaiming the political spotlight in 2024 during the constitutional crisis triggered by martial law. Lee Jae-myung said, in his victory speech, 'This belongs to the people who stood for democracy. I will be a president who listens, who serves, and who remembers where we came from." About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : South Korea First Published: June 04, 2025, 00:01 IST
4 hours ago
- Business
South Korea's new leader Lee has lived a turbulent life. Now, big challenges await him
SEOUL, South Korea -- SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lee Jae-myung was a child laborer with an arm deformity. He attempted suicide. He later made his way through university and became a highly divisive politician who survived a stabbing attack and struggles with numerous criminal charges. His turbulent life climaxed on Wednesday, as Lee, 60, the candidate of the main liberal Democratic Party, was confirmed as South Korea's new president to succeed his conservative archrival Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his stunning imposition of martial law. There are both hopes and fears about Lee's win. Supporters think he's an able leader who can get things done and fix the country's deep-rooted economic inequality and corruption. But critics say Lee will likely oppress political opponents and intensify a domestic division. Here's a look at Lee, whose single, five-year presidency begins on Wednesday: After graduating from an elementary school, Lee had to work at various factories in Seongnam, a city near Seoul, because his family couldn't afford his secondary education. At a factory manufacturing baseball gloves, he had his left forearm crushed by a press machine, getting a permanent arm disability. Lee said he suffered beating at his factories and hated encountering a girl who was a neighbor when he helped his garbage collector father's work at a traditional market. Despaired, Lee tried to kill himself twice, both unsuccessfully. He later got back on his feet and entered Seoul's Chung-Ang University with a full scholarship, before he became a human rights lawyer. 'Hopes and ordeals always come together. The roles of ordeals are not getting people to surrender, but testing how serious and desperate their hopes are,' Lee said in a memoir published in 2017. Lee later entered politics and became Seongnam mayor and governor of Gyeonggi province. Once a political outsider, Lee rose to prominence in 2016 after he made a series of fiery street speeches criticizing then conservative President Park Geun-hye, who was later removed from office over a corruption scandal. 'Let's seize her with our hands and consign her to history," Lee said during one rally in December 2016. Many of his comments have since sharply polarized South Koreans. Lee vilified South Korea's conservative establishment as greedy 'fake conservatives." He slammed a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea as a source of tensions and likened strengthening U.S.-Japan ties to a 1905 Washington-Tokyo agreement that he said helped Japan colonize the Korean Peninsula later. Lee's proposal of giving a universal basic income to all citizens have invited accusations that he's a populist. In 2022, he lost the hotly contested presidential election to Yoon. In 2024, Lee was attacked by a man who told investigators that he wanted to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president. Recently, Lee has made few contentious or radical comments on foreign policy and security issues, and rather has promised to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He's repeatedly described South Korea's alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of the country's foreign policy and stressed the need to maintain a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security partnership. 'When it comes to what Lee said in the past, we don't know whether he made such comments only to appeal to his supporters or whether they showed his true nature,' said Shin Yul, a politics professor at Seoul's Myonggi University. The major issues that Lee will immediately face is U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and other 'America First' policies, and North Korea's advancing nuclear program. They are both vital issues for South Korea, but many experts say there isn't much diplomatic room for South Korea to maneuver in to produce major changes in its favor in both matters. Paik Wooyeal, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, said that Trump is 'too overwhelming and dominant,' so that whoever is in South Korean leadership, the country's dealings with the U.S. won't be much different. He said that foreign policy advisers for Lee would also know that North Korea won't voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons. Lee comes to office under the shadow of his own legal troubles. He stands accused in five trials over corruption and other charges, and at one point, some of his legal battles threatened his bid for presidency. Lee celebrated in March when the Seoul High Court overturned a suspended prison sentence against him for violating the election law during the 2022 race. But he fumed in May when the Supreme Court quashed that ruling and sent the case back to the high court, citing a strong likelihood of his guilt. Hearings at the high court were eventually postponed until after the election. Had his conviction been finalized, Lee would have been barred from running for president. Other trials center around his roles in dubious development projects and illegal money transfers to North Korea, and his alleged misuse of official funds and persuading of a witness to commit perjury. Lee's five trials will likely stop as South Korea's constitution prevents a sitting president from being charged with most crimes. But his rivals will take issue with it, because the constitution doesn't clearly state whether a president can be convicted for crimes in which indictments came before taking up office. Lee's Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, has been pushing to revise the criminal procedure law to suspend ongoing criminal trials involving a sitting president until the end of their term. Conservatives have harshly lambasted the move. During the presidential campaign, Lee vowed not to pursue a vendetta against conservatives. However, he has also called for a thorough investigation into Yoon and his inner circle over rebellion allegations. Lee's opponents worry he could use those investigations to clamp down on Yoon associates and prosecutors who he thinks orchestrated inquiries involving his criminal charges. Yoon's martial law stunt intensified a domestic divide. Declaring martial law, Yoon portrayed Lee's party as 'anti-state' forces influenced by North Korea and China. He has also endorsed baseless election fraud theories to discredit the liberals' legislative majority, prompting his angry supporters to pour onto the streets with 'Stop the Steal' signs. Anti-Yoon activists and citizens, for their part, also rallied for weeks to demand his immediate dismissal. With liberals remaining in control of the legislature, Lee faces a far more favorable environment to advance his policies. Conservatives have voiced concern that Lee and the Democratic Party will wield virtually unchecked power to pass legislation previously blocked by Yoon's administration, including bills aimed at strengthening protections for labor unionists against corporate lawsuits and shielding farmers from volatile rice prices.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
South Korea's new leader Lee has lived a turbulent life. Now, big challenges await him
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lee Jae-myung was a child laborer with an arm deformity. He attempted suicide. He later made his way through university and became a highly divisive politician who survived a stabbing attack and struggles with numerous criminal charges. His turbulent life climaxed on Wednesday, as Lee, 60, the candidate of the main liberal Democratic Party, was confirmed as South Korea's new president to succeed his conservative archrival Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his stunning imposition of martial law. There are both hopes and fears about Lee's win. Supporters think he's an able leader who can get things done and fix the country's deep-rooted economic inequality and corruption. But critics say Lee will likely oppress political opponents and intensify a domestic division. Here's a look at Lee, whose single, five-year presidency begins on Wednesday: Childhood poverty After graduating from an elementary school, Lee had to work at various factories in Seongnam, a city near Seoul, because his family couldn't afford his secondary education. At a factory manufacturing baseball gloves, he had his left forearm crushed by a press machine, getting a permanent arm disability. Lee said he suffered beating at his factories and hated encountering a girl who was a neighbor when he helped his garbage collector father's work at a traditional market. Despaired, Lee tried to kill himself twice, both unsuccessfully. He later got back on his feet and entered Seoul's Chung-Ang University with a full scholarship, before he became a human rights lawyer. 'Hopes and ordeals always come together. The roles of ordeals are not getting people to surrender, but testing how serious and desperate their hopes are,' Lee said in a memoir published in 2017. Liberal firebrand Lee later entered politics and became Seongnam mayor and governor of Gyeonggi province. Once a political outsider, Lee rose to prominence in 2016 after he made a series of fiery street speeches criticizing then conservative President Park Geun-hye, who was later removed from office over a corruption scandal. 'Let's seize her with our hands and consign her to history," Lee said during one rally in December 2016. Many of his comments have since sharply polarized South Koreans. Lee vilified South Korea's conservative establishment as greedy 'fake conservatives." He slammed a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea as a source of tensions and likened strengthening U.S.-Japan ties to a 1905 Washington-Tokyo agreement that he said helped Japan colonize the Korean Peninsula later. Lee's proposal of giving a universal basic income to all citizens have invited accusations that he's a populist. In 2022, he lost the hotly contested presidential election to Yoon. In 2024, Lee was attacked by a man who told investigators that he wanted to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president. Foreign policy challenges Recently, Lee has made few contentious or radical comments on foreign policy and security issues, and rather has promised to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He's repeatedly described South Korea's alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of the country's foreign policy and stressed the need to maintain a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security partnership. 'When it comes to what Lee said in the past, we don't know whether he made such comments only to appeal to his supporters or whether they showed his true nature,' said Shin Yul, a politics professor at Seoul's Myonggi University. The major issues that Lee will immediately face is U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and other 'America First' policies, and North Korea's advancing nuclear program. They are both vital issues for South Korea, but many experts say there isn't much diplomatic room for South Korea to maneuver in to produce major changes in its favor in both matters. Paik Wooyeal, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, said that Trump is 'too overwhelming and dominant,' so that whoever is in South Korean leadership, the country's dealings with the U.S. won't be much different. He said that foreign policy advisers for Lee would also know that North Korea won't voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons. Legal woods Lee comes to office under the shadow of his own legal troubles. He stands accused in five trials over corruption and other charges, and at one point, some of his legal battles threatened his bid for presidency. Lee celebrated in March when the Seoul High Court overturned a suspended prison sentence against him for violating the election law during the 2022 race. But he fumed in May when the Supreme Court quashed that ruling and sent the case back to the high court, citing a strong likelihood of his guilt. Hearings at the high court were eventually postponed until after the election. Had his conviction been finalized, Lee would have been barred from running for president. Other trials center around his roles in dubious development projects and illegal money transfers to North Korea, and his alleged misuse of official funds and persuading of a witness to commit perjury. Lee's five trials will likely stop as South Korea's constitution prevents a sitting president from being charged with most crimes. But his rivals will take issue with it, because the constitution doesn't clearly state whether a president can be convicted for crimes in which indictments came before taking up office. Lee's Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, has been pushing to revise the criminal procedure law to suspend ongoing criminal trials involving a sitting president until the end of their term. Conservatives have harshly lambasted the move. National split During the presidential campaign, Lee vowed not to pursue a vendetta against conservatives. However, he has also called for a thorough investigation into Yoon and his inner circle over rebellion allegations. Lee's opponents worry he could use those investigations to clamp down on Yoon associates and prosecutors who he thinks orchestrated inquiries involving his criminal charges. Yoon's martial law stunt intensified a domestic divide. Declaring martial law, Yoon portrayed Lee's party as 'anti-state' forces influenced by North Korea and China. He has also endorsed baseless election fraud theories to discredit the liberals' legislative majority, prompting his angry supporters to pour onto the streets with 'Stop the Steal' signs. Anti-Yoon activists and citizens, for their part, also rallied for weeks to demand his immediate dismissal. With liberals remaining in control of the legislature, Lee faces a far more favorable environment to advance his policies. Conservatives have voiced concern that Lee and the Democratic Party will wield virtually unchecked power to pass legislation previously blocked by Yoon's administration, including bills aimed at strengthening protections for labor unionists against corporate lawsuits and shielding farmers from volatile rice prices.
The Hill
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
South Korea's new leader Lee has lived a turbulent life. Now, big challenges await him
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lee Jae-myung was a child laborer with an arm deformity. He attempted suicide. He later made his way through university and became a highly divisive politician who survived a stabbing attack and struggles with numerous criminal charges. His turbulent life climaxed on Wednesday, as Lee, 60, the candidate of the main liberal Democratic Party, was confirmed as South Korea's new president to succeed his conservative archrival Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his stunning imposition of martial law. There are both hopes and fears about Lee's win. Supporters think he's an able leader who can get things done and fix the country's deep-rooted economic inequality and corruption. But critics say Lee will likely oppress political opponents and intensify a domestic division. Here's a look at Lee, whose single, five-year presidency begins on Wednesday: After graduating from an elementary school, Lee had to work at various factories in Seongnam, a city near Seoul, because his family couldn't afford his secondary education. At a factory manufacturing baseball gloves, he had his left forearm crushed by a press machine, getting a permanent arm disability. Lee said he suffered beating at his factories and hated encountering a girl who was a neighbor when he helped his garbage collector father's work at a traditional market. Despaired, Lee tried to kill himself twice, both unsuccessfully. He later got back on his feet and entered Seoul's Chung-Ang University with a full scholarship, before he became a human rights lawyer. 'Hopes and ordeals always come together. The roles of ordeals are not getting people to surrender, but testing how serious and desperate their hopes are,' Lee said in a memoir published in 2017. Lee later entered politics and became Seongnam mayor and governor of Gyeonggi province. Once a political outsider, Lee rose to prominence in 2016 after he made a series of fiery street speeches criticizing then conservative President Park Geun-hye, who was later removed from office over a corruption scandal. 'Let's seize her with our hands and consign her to history,' Lee said during one rally in December 2016. Many of his comments have since sharply polarized South Koreans. Lee vilified South Korea's conservative establishment as greedy 'fake conservatives.' He slammed a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea as a source of tensions and likened strengthening U.S.-Japan ties to a 1905 Washington-Tokyo agreement that he said helped Japan colonize the Korean Peninsula later. Lee's proposal of giving a universal basic income to all citizens have invited accusations that he's a populist. In 2022, he lost the hotly contested presidential election to Yoon. In 2024, Lee was attacked by a man who told investigators that he wanted to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president. Recently, Lee has made few contentious or radical comments on foreign policy and security issues, and rather has promised to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He's repeatedly described South Korea's alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of the country's foreign policy and stressed the need to maintain a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security partnership. 'When it comes to what Lee said in the past, we don't know whether he made such comments only to appeal to his supporters or whether they showed his true nature,' said Shin Yul, a politics professor at Seoul's Myonggi University. The major issues that Lee will immediately face is U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and other 'America First' policies, and North Korea's advancing nuclear program. They are both vital issues for South Korea, but many experts say there isn't much diplomatic room for South Korea to maneuver in to produce major changes in its favor in both matters. Paik Wooyeal, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, said that Trump is 'too overwhelming and dominant,' so that whoever is in South Korean leadership, the country's dealings with the U.S. won't be much different. He said that foreign policy advisers for Lee would also know that North Korea won't voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons. Lee comes to office under the shadow of his own legal troubles. He stands accused in five trials over corruption and other charges, and at one point, some of his legal battles threatened his bid for presidency. Lee celebrated in March when the Seoul High Court overturned a suspended prison sentence against him for violating the election law during the 2022 race. But he fumed in May when the Supreme Court quashed that ruling and sent the case back to the high court, citing a strong likelihood of his guilt. Hearings at the high court were eventually postponed until after the election. Had his conviction been finalized, Lee would have been barred from running for president. Other trials center around his roles in dubious development projects and illegal money transfers to North Korea, and his alleged misuse of official funds and persuading of a witness to commit perjury. Lee's five trials will likely stop as South Korea's constitution prevents a sitting president from being charged with most crimes. But his rivals will take issue with it, because the constitution doesn't clearly state whether a president can be convicted for crimes in which indictments came before taking up office. Lee's Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, has been pushing to revise the criminal procedure law to suspend ongoing criminal trials involving a sitting president until the end of their term. Conservatives have harshly lambasted the move. During the presidential campaign, Lee vowed not to pursue a vendetta against conservatives. However, he has also called for a thorough investigation into Yoon and his inner circle over rebellion allegations. Lee's opponents worry he could use those investigations to clamp down on Yoon associates and prosecutors who he thinks orchestrated inquiries involving his criminal charges. Yoon's martial law stunt intensified a domestic divide. Declaring martial law, Yoon portrayed Lee's party as 'anti-state' forces influenced by North Korea and China. He has also endorsed baseless election fraud theories to discredit the liberals' legislative majority, prompting his angry supporters to pour onto the streets with 'Stop the Steal' signs. Anti-Yoon activists and citizens, for their part, also rallied for weeks to demand his immediate dismissal. With liberals remaining in control of the legislature, Lee faces a far more favorable environment to advance his policies. Conservatives have voiced concern that Lee and the Democratic Party will wield virtually unchecked power to pass legislation previously blocked by Yoon's administration, including bills aimed at strengthening protections for labor unionists against corporate lawsuits and shielding farmers from volatile rice prices.
