Lee Jae-Myung won the election of South Korea after months of martial law

South Korea has won a decisive victory to the opposition candidate Lee Jae-Myung six months after the failure of the martial law offer of its predecessor.

The brief but disastrous move sparked enormous demonstrations and ended the career of former president Yoon Suk Yeol: dismissed and dismissed from his duties, he always faces criminal accusations for having abused his power.

But the political chaos that followed means that Victorious Lee’s biggest challenge is still ahead of him. He must unite a polarized country which is still in shock from everything.

He also faces challenges abroad – above all, merchanting a commercial agreement with American president Donald Trump to soften the coup of the prices of the ally closest to South Korea.

His main rival was the candidate of the ruling party and a former member of Yoon, Kim Moon-Soo.

He had been dragging Lee for weeks in polls and in the early hours of Wednesday, he conceded the defeat, congratulating Lee “for his victory”.

In a previous speech, Lee had referred to victory but had stopped declaring it. He said that the “recovery” of South Korea democracy would be his first priority.

The Snap election comes only three years after the 61 -year -old lost his last presidential offer by a thin margin like Yoon.

It is a remarkable return for a man who has been taken in several political scandals, investigations on an alleged corruption with family quarrels.

Analysts claim that Lee’s victory is also a rejection of the part of the Power Power Party (PPP), which has been paved by the order of Martial law of Yoon.

“The voters did not necessarily express strong support for Lee’s agenda, they rather responded to what they considered a break in democracy,” President of Min Consulting told Park.

“The election has become a vehicle to express indignation … (and) was a clear reprimand of the ruling party, which had been an accomplice or directly responsible for the measures of martial law.”

Lee’s victory, he adds, shows that the voters had put the democracy of South Korea “above all”.

The departure of Yoon also left his former divided party and in disarray, with intestine struggles delaying the announcement of a presidential candidate until early May.

The PPP chaos went beyond Yoon, while two acting presidents who followed were also dismissed, before one of them was reinstated-a sign of the way in which the South Korean policy had become.

All of this has certainly helped the Democratic Party of the opposition and its candidate Lee, who reported more stability.

But although he won the elections, his challenges are far from over.

He faces a trial before the Supreme Court for accusations of violation of the electoral law. The court postponed the trial until the elections to avoid interference, because a conviction could have prevented it from presenting itself.

But we do not know what is happening if Lee is now found guilty, although the law indicates that seated presidents cannot be prosecuted for criminal offenses, with the exception of the insurrection or betrayal.

Lee had a controversial career in which he built a faithful base, but he also attracted the disapproval and anger of what some called an abrasive style.

He spoke openly about a difficult childhood in a family of the working class, before going to university and became a human rights lawyer.

He then went to a political career, making his way to the DP until 2022 – he became their presidential candidate. He campaigned on a more liberal platform, promising to treat gender inequalities, for example.

But after losing the vote, he pivoted, this time opting to move more towards the center and playing it more safe with its policies.

At the office, he will also have to reach the aisle and work with the PPP, a party he beat regularly during Yoon’s mandate. But he may need them to work with him to rebuild the public’s confidence and repair a fractured country.

“Years of climbing polarization under the (previous) Moon and Yoon administrations left the political landscape of South Korea bitterly divided,” said Mr. Park.

“Lee can speak of national unity, but he faces a deep dilemma: how to pursue the responsibility of what many consider as an attempt at insurrection without deepening the very divisions that he seeks to heal.”

Despite the loss of the PPP, Yoon always has a considerably solid and vocal support base – and it is unlikely that they immediately disappear.

His supporters, mainly young male voters and the elderly, often echo the right stories and many of them believe that his declaration of martial law was necessary to protect the country.

Many also peddle the theories of the conspiracy, believing that the Yoon’s party has been the victim of electoral fraud.

Thousands of people protested against his dismissal and, in January, shortly after his arrest, a pro-Yoon crowd stormed a courthouse and assaulted police officers.

With Yoon left, there are questions about who could fill this void for his base.

One particular name appeared: Lee Jun Seok, who also presented himself to the presidency, but abandoned earlier Tuesday, when exit polls suggested that he was too far behind, with only 7.7% of the vote.

However, he was particularly popular with many young men for his anti-feminist opinions, which reminded Yoon, under which equality for women has become a polarizing subject.

The young men in the thirties have come out in higher number than usual to vote this time, drawn in part by candidates like Lee Jun-Seok. Those who wish to hold the government led by the PPP responsible, and others wishing to ensure that the presidency of Lee Jae -Myung has been destroyed, led to this year’s participation rate reaching 79.4% – the highest since 1997.

However, it is not only the healing of these divisions at home that will occupy Lee in the immediate future. He is also faced with urgent challenges abroad, such as the navigation of the American-Korea alliance under the new Trump administration.

“The pressing interior challenges of South Korea are increasingly linked to global dynamics,” said Mr. Park, adding that it has implications for the economy and the country’s defense, since the United States is both a crucial trading partner and a security ally.

A trade agreement with the United States is at the top of the agenda, he said, slow demand and slow growth already harming the economy.

Lee – A experienced politician – comes into office knowing all of this, and made a promise to voters in South Korea.

“I will do my best to fulfill the great responsibility and the mission entrusted to me, so as not to disappoint the expectations of our people,” Lee told journalists.