Conservative leader Yoon Seok-yeol wins South Korea’s presidential election

Asia-Pacific, News March 10, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Yoon Suk-yeol from the conservative People Power Party won South Korea’s 20th Presidential Election with the slightest of margins putting the newly formed political party into power.

The South Korean Presidential elections 2022 turned out to be the closest race between the two leading parties, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the People Power Party (PPP). The two front runners of the South Korean presidential elections were Lee Jae-myung from the LDP and Yoon Suk-yeol from the PPP.

The turnout for the 2022 elections exceeded that of the last elections, as the total turnout was 75.7% on March 9, compared to 72.7% in 2017.

The winning People Power Party came into being in the year 2020 as an aftermath of President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. Liberty Korea Party and New Conservative Party merged to form the People Power Party ahead of the presidential elections and nominated Yoon Suk-yeol as their candidate who previously served as the Prosecutor General of South Korea from 2019 to 2021.

Yoon Suk-yeol is a Seoul native and has a background in law. He is not a conventional politician and has never contested elections before. He rose to fame as the Chief Prosecutor of South Korea during the impeachment process of former President Park Geun-hye.

The elections come at a time when South Korea was facing several internal and external challenges including its worst waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

*^{Live broadcast of South Korea’s 20th Presidential Elections on March 9, 2022. (Image Credit: Globe Elections United Network/videograb by IRIA)}*

Soon after the results of the elections came out, U.S. President Joe Biden held phone talks with South Korea’s President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and congratulated him on his victory.

According to the White House statement, “Both leaders affirmed the strength of the U.S.-ROK alliance, which is the linchpin for peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.”

During the phone call, U.S. president Biden emphasized the United States’ commitment to the defense of South Korea and that “he looks forward to working together to deepen cooperation on key global challenges, including climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and supply chains.”

The two sides also committed to maintaining close coordination on “addressing the threats posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear and missile programs,” the statement added.