By Park Hye Ri and Kim Hayeon
Candidate Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party has been elected the nation's 20th president.
The National Election Commission (NEC) on March 10 said President-elect Yoon won with 16,394,815 votes,
or 48.56%, in the March 9 presidential election. Runner-up Lee Jaemyung of the ruling Democratic Party
of Korea earned 16,147,738 votes, or 47.83%.
The margin of victory was 0.73 percentage point, or 247,077 votes, making this race the closest since
the 1987 adoption of the direct election system. The second-tightest race came in 1997, when Kim
Dae-jung of the National Congress for New Politics narrowly beat Lee Hoi-chang of the Grand National
Party by just 1.53 percentage points or 390,557 votes.
"The result today represents a victory of our great people, not that of the People Power Party or
People's Party," President-elect Yoon said at the election situation room of the National Assembly
Library in the Yeouido area of Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu District.
"While campaigning for the election, I learned a lot about what is needed to become leader of a country
and how to listen to the voices of the people," he added. "While preparing to set up a new government
and officially assume the presidency as president-elect, I will honor the spirit of the Constitution,
respect the legislature and cooperate with the opposition party to properly serve the people."
Candidate Lee conceded defeat to his rival at a predawn news conference at the headquarters of the
Democratic Party in Yeouido.
"I gave it my all but failed to meet expectations," he said, congratulating President-elect Yoon on his
victory. "I earnestly request that the president-elect open an age of integration and harmony by
overcoming division and conflict."
President Moon Jae-in made a congratulatory phone call to his successor, saying, "You did a great job in
a tough election."
Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Park Kyung-mee told a briefing that President Moon on March 10 from 9:10 a.m.
talked for five minutes to the president-elect, saying, "It is important to wash away conflict and
division in the election process and achieve integration for the people to become one."
President Moon also had his Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min send Korean orchids to the
president-elect.
The White House of the U.S. also congratulated Korea's next head of state. Reuters on March 9 said a
White House spokesperson quoted U.S. President Joe Biden as saying, "We congratulate President-elect
Yoon Suk Yeol."
The spokesperson added, "President Biden looks forward to continue working with the new President-elect
to further expand our close cooperation."
The president-elect started his first official schedule by paying his respects at Seoul National
Cemetery. After receiving a certificate of election from the NEC, he will legally gain the status of
president-elect and assume office on May 5, the final day of the Moon administration, for a five-year
term.
Meanwhile, the NEC said voter turnout in the presidential election was 77.1%, or a tenth of a percentage
point lower than in 2017. Of 44,197,692 eligible voters in this election, 33,454,249 voted at 14,464
polling stations nationwide.
Source : korea.net