NEW ERA

Conservative Ex-Prosecutor Becomes South Korea’s New President After Dramatic Election

His liberal rival Lee Jae-myung was defeated in a bitter race that saw both sides slinging vicious insults.

At the conclusion of a tight and bitter presidential race, conservatives have reclaimed political power in South Korea, potentially leading to tougher policies on North Korea. Opposition leader Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative former prosecutor, defeated the liberal ruling party’s candidate, Lee Jae-myung in an election that was marked by vicious insults and mudslinging. Yoon was leading by 263,000 votes when Lee conceded early Thursday morning. The People Power Party that Yoon hails from became the subject of when former conservative President Park Guen-hye was convicted of corruption, a verdict that Yoon helped secure. It’s expected that Yoon will overturn outgoing progressive President Moon Jae-in’s policy of building peace with North Korea.