South Korean election boosts peace push, but peril for Trump

The election of Lee Jae-myung to the office of the presidency in South Korea provides both opportunity and dangers for the Trump administration.

Lee, 60, is a turbulent leftwing figure in South Korean politics, though he could help Trump restart negotiations with North Korea over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

On the other hand, Lee has been a vocal critic of U.S. ally Japan, once calling the island nation off Korea’s east coast an “enemy country.”

He also has said China’s ambitions to annex Taiwan are of no interest to him, which could cause problems for U.S. defense and foreign policy aims of containing China, according to a research associate at the Quincy Institute.

“Let them handle their own business,” Lee said of Taiwan.

Still, in a sharply divided nation it won’t be easy for Lee. The new president was elected with 49.4% of the vote, as two conservative candidates split the rest of the votes.

Lee’s election marks a new, uncertain beginning for South Korea after the country’s previous President Yoon Suk Yeol tried to impose martial law.

The martial law declaration came after Lee’s liberal Democratic Party initiated 22 impeachment attempts against government officials. Yoon maintained Lee’s party was simply obstructing the government.

Yoon was subsequently removed, and snap elections were called, which resulted in Lee’s election.

The son of a garbage collector, Lee suffered a debilitating injury in his youth when a machine used to manufacture baseball gloves where he worked crushed his left forearm, reports the Associated Press.   

He attempted suicide two times before completing university and becoming a human rights lawyer, according to the AP’s biography of Lee.  

In January 2024, Lee survived a knife attack by someone in the crowd at a campaign rally who stabbed him in the neck.  

Lee has also been the subject of numerous criminal investigations, including charges over the alleged misuse of public funds when he was governor of Gyeonggi province, as well as the illegal transfer of money to North Korea, reports Reuters.  

In addition, he’s also been charged with bribery in four separate cases while mayor of Seongnam City. Lee currently has a trial before the Seoul High Court alleging he induced someone to commit perjury, said the wire service report.      

Lee is known as a firebrand whose drive to move South Korea to the left “will likely [cause him to] oppress political opponents and intensify a domestic division,” critics warn.  

During the election, Lee tried to tone down his “radical comments,” but it only served to raise questions about his true policy intentions.  

“When it comes to what Lee said in the past, we don’t know whether he made such comments only to appeal to his supporters or whether they showed his true nature,” Shin Yul, a politics professor at Seoul’s Myonggi University, told the AP.  

The world will soon find out.  

Lee’s Democratic Party enjoys an almost “supermajority” in the legislature, with expectations that he will rapidly expand the welfare state, while trying to maintain the image of a centrist fostering responsible fiscal policies.   

He previously promised to provide a universal basic income, which would greatly expand the state’s reach and budget.  

As to U.S. relations, Research Associate James Park at the Quincy Institute’s East Asia Program said Lee shares Trump’s view of foreign policy as transactional and national. 

Lee noted Trump is willing to fight against allies and negotiate with enemies to serve national interests, according to Park.  

“It’s something we should learn from,” said Lee of Trump’s foreign policy impetus.  

But whether that will translate into a more secure position for the U.S. with its Korean ally under Lee is an open question.   

“These apparent shared values between Lee and Trump could serve as a source of synergy if goals and interests align or a source of friction if goals and interests diverge,” said Park. 

“It remains to be seen whether the two sides will be able to manage potential differences and disagreements on issues such as tariffs, military cooperation against China, and the Taiwan issue.”