South Korea's new president has to overcome divisions and handle Trump carefully

South Korea's new president has to overcome divisions and handle Trump carefully

Seoul, South Korea - at the age of 14 he was a poor factory worker. On Wednesday, Lee Jae-Myung started his position as a leader of one of the most powerful economies of Asia, a US ally and cultural focus.

challenges according to the elections

after a Decided victory About his conservative rival Kim moon-sooo stands on Tuesday Jae myung against an enormous challenge. South Korea is still heavily polarized. Lee’s predecessor in December imposed war rights in a brief attempt to power, which was worried about the state of their democracy.

political unrest and international tensions

six months of political turbulence. Protests-both for and against the former president Yoon Suk Yeol - filled the streets of the capital Seoul. In addition, unstable international conditions have tightened domestic uncertainty. The global tariffs of US President Donald Trump strongly hit the export-dependent South Korean economy, while there was a lack of a permanent leader who was able to control the negotiations with Washington.

The choice of Lee-after a series of interim leaders in the past six months-could offer the country the urgently needed stability, explained Cho Hee-Kyoung, professor of law at the Hongik University in Seoul. "We didn't even have someone who could talk to Trump about the customs war, and this is a serious problem for an export -driven economy," said Cho. She added that the choice - with the highest turnout since 1997 - is a painful public settlement with the People Power Party.

A voter looks at the turning points

A voter, Kim Yong-Insup, CNN told that he was so happy with Lee's victory that he felt like he was flying. He had driven from his home to the capital for two hours, unsure whether he would safely return; South Korea has experienced bloody suppression in its authoritarian past before it became democracy. "I called my wife and said that she should tell our children that I would go to the National Assembly building for my grandchild," he said. "To create a better world for your generation, we have to end war law; I can't ignore it and just sleep."

The political future of Lee Jae-Myung

whether Lee, 60, which can heal political divisions, remains to be seen - especially since he himself is faced with legal challenges and has to deal with accusations of corruption and abuse of power. It is unclear what will happen to its ongoing criminal proceedings; Sitting presidents are usually immune to law enforcement, but there are disagreements as to whether this also applies to procedures that were started before taking office.

When he was inaugurated on Wednesday, Lee tried to present himself as a bringer of the unit and the new beginning for the country that counts over 50 million people. "It is time to replace hatred and confrontation with coexistence, reconciliation and solidarity - to open up a era of national happiness, of dreams and hope," he said in his speech. "I will meet the sincere reputation to build a completely new nation."

from poverty to power

lees spectacular climb is well documented. Born in the 1960s he was the fifth of seven children of a poor family from Andong, a city on the river southeast of Seoul. His father worked as a market cleaner, while his mother collected fees from public toilets, as can be seen from his biographies and excerpts from Lee's own diaries.

in a South Korea that was drawn from the civil war and was in the beginnings of rapid industrialization that was supposed to make a stronghold of production, Lee began working in factories in his youth - from jewelry factories to assembly of refrigerators. When working in a factory that made baseball gloves, he was permanently injured in the left arm.

In his diary, Lee wrote about his jealousy for students who wore and had enough school uniforms. Despite his modest beginnings, he finally passed his school exams and received a full scholarship to study law at the Chung-Eng University, one of the best private universities in Seoul.

political career and challenges

From there on Lee became a human rights lawyer and entered politics in 2010 when he was elected mayor of Seondnam, a city near Seoul, and this as representative of the liberal democratic party. This led to a more important position as governor of the province of Gyeonggi, who is the most populous area in the country and surrounds the capital.

The further course of the year followed Yoon's failed attempt to power. Lee attracted attention again when he hurried to the deputies and pushed past soldiers in order to maintain an emergency vote for the abolition of war law. In a viral video viewed by millions of people, he lives streams, as he exceeded a fence, to enter the building.

Despite its growing popularity, Lee is eyed suspiciously by many opponents, mainly because of his legal proceedings - including allegations for bribery and charges in connection with a real estate development scandal. He was also condemned for a debate in the 2022 presidential election for a violation of a violation of the electoral law. The case was referred to an appellate court.

lee denies all the allegations raised against him. In a In December he claimed that the charges" without any evidence or The basis “were raised and the allegations are politically motivated.

The political vision of Lee Jae-Myung

YOONS DEKET on war law had been partially fueled by his frustration over a political blockade, since Lees Democratic Party so far failed to implement many of his election promises and political projects.

Now the Democratic Party controls both the parliament and the presidency, which, according to Celeste Arrington, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University in the US capital, could increase the likelihood of a return to normal political circumstances. "It could be easier to enforce political measures when it was the case under the deposed President Yoon," she added.

Lee now has a lot to do - including the challenges of a stagnating economy and participation in the trade talks between the USA and South Korea. "I will immediately activate an emergency team for economic response to ensure people's livelihood and enliven the economy," he said in his inauguration speech on Wednesday. He added that he would "convert the global economic and security crisis into a way to maximize our national interest" and strengthen the trilateral cooperation with the USA and Japan.

Arrington added that Lee clearly sees the US South Korea alliance when the "backbone" of the national security of the country-however, he will have to do this in balance with the relationship with China, the largest trading partner of South Korea.

yoon pursued a notoriously hard line opposite North Korea, and the relationships have suffered greatly. In contrast, Lee comes from a political party that historically followed a rather conciliatory approach to the autocratic neighbor South Korea. Lee confirmed the long -term goal of peace on the Korean Peninsula and swore to “react to North Korea's nuclear threats and at the same time to keep the communication channels open”.

Above all, Lee focused on the restoration of public trust, which was severely damaged by the crises of war law - and to present the invoice to those responsible for these unrest. "I will rebuild everything that was destroyed by the uprisings and create a society that continues to grow and develop," he said on Wednesday. "A rebellion that uses the power of the military to take over the sovereignty of the people must never happen again."