Liberal human rights lawyer Moon Jae-in ended a decade of conservative dominance in South Korea as he scored a decisive victory in Tuesday’s snap presidential election.
The 64-year-old Mr. Moon claimed victory shortly after his two main rivals conceded, telling jubilant supporters the result “will open the door for a new Republic of Korea.
“I will achieve reforms and national unity, the two missions that our people long for,” he added.
Mr. Moon’s win could usher in a major shift in the country’s domestic and foreign policies.
He has urged a more accommodating stance toward North Korea and tougher oversight of the country’s powerful business groups. He has also called for a review of the decision to accept a new U.S. anti-missile defense system installed in the country in the days before the vote.
All would be a sharp break from the policies of disgraced former President Park Geun-hye, who faces corruption charges after being impeached and removed from office earlier this year.
The Associated Press reported that conservative candidate Hong Joon-pyo and centrist Ahn Cheol-soo had conceded defeat late Tuesday night in Seoul. Exit polls released just after the polls closed showed Mr. Moon, a onetime aide to liberal former President Roh Moo-hyun, taking over 41 percent of the vote, nearly 20 percentage points ahead of his two main rivals.
Mr. Moon becomes president immediately, as there is no run-off under the South Korean presidential system.
Mr. Ahn, considered Mr. Moon’s top challenger, said in his concession speech that he was unable to meet the voters’ “ardent wish for change.”
While the election took placed in a charged atmosphere of rising tensions between Pyongyang and the new Trump administration, much of the campaign debate focused on domestic issues, including government corruption and the need to provide new growth for the sputtering South Korean economy.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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