South Korea’s National Election Commission said on Thursday that the opposition leader secured 48.56% of the ballot, with 99.99% of the total votes, ahead of Lee’s 47.83%.
The current Moon Jae-in was not allowed to run for a second term because the presidency in South Korea is a five-year single term.
In a speech at the party headquarters in Seoul, Lee blamed himself for the defeat.
“Koreans guys, we did our best, but we didn’t live up to the expectations,” he said. According to Lee’s campaign, he said, “I want to apologize to the many citizens of the country who have left their daily lives behind to be with us. Thank you for your passionate devotion.”
“It is all because of my shortcomings. This is not your defeat, nor is the defeat of the Democratic Party. The entire responsibility lies entirely on me,” he said.
Yoon pledged unity in his victory speech. “Now, the competition is over, and we must unite for the sake of the people and the Republic of Korea,” he said, “today’s result is a victory for the great people.”
Yoon is a newcomer to politics, having spent the last 27 years of his career as a prosecutor. He began his political career after serving as chief prosecutor, leading high-profile investigations into the corruption scandals that plagued allies of President Moon.
Yun’s victory again put the Korean government in conservative hands, more than Five years later the conservative Park Geun-hee was impeached over his own corruption scandal.
Yoon must deal with threats from North Korea, rising tensions between the US and China, and lead South Korea in the next phase of the pandemic.
Lee sent a congratulation to his opponent: “Congratulations to Eun Suk Yeol. I sincerely ask the President to usher in an era of unity and harmony beyond division and conflict.”
“I still believe in my people. Our people were great. Even during the COVID-19 crisis, you showed a high spirit of democracy with high turnout. As long as you are, Korea will continue to grow.” I hope we get over the COVID-19 crisis as soon as possible and get back to our daily lives,” Lee said.