Yoon Suk-yeol and the return of South Korea’s conservatives

Red Action Report: 'Yoon Suk-yeol of the People’s Power Party (PPP) has narrowly won South Korea’s Presidential election in what was seen by many observers as the most fraught, divisive, and close, presidential election since the democratisation of South Korea in 1987.

'With a total voter turnout of over 34 million, or 77 per cent of the country showing up to the polls, President-elect Yoon received approximately just 250,000 more votes than his main rival Lee Jae-myung of the currently governing Democratic Party of Korea.

'In what was a first in Korean democratic history, neither leader had any experience in the National Assembly, South Korea’s Legislative branch.

'The two campaigns revolved around highly polarising and antagonistic rhetoric with Yoon and Lee both resorting to mudslinging, each accusing the other and their families of corruption, moral misconduct, elitism, and representative of the increasingly resented South Korean establishment.'