Conservative Election Win in South Korea Shows Hawkish Turn
- Ex-prosecutor Yoon Suk-yeol elected president in close race
- Backs fiscal restraint, tougher stance on China, North Korea
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Former top prosecutor Yoon Suk-yeol won election as South Korea’s president, returning the conservative opposition to power after five years and signaling a hawkish turn in the country’s relations with China and North Korea.
The political newcomer edged out former Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung by less than one percentage point, the country’s closest presidential contest ever. Yoon, 61, resigned from President Moon Jae-in’s government last year after a falling out over investigations into the leader’s associates, and the election campaign was dominated by party infighting, ethical scandals and emotional debates over age and gender divides in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.