Turnout reached 73 percent, the highest for a presidential election in more than a decade, driven by unprecedented public engagement following the Constitutional Court’s unanimous decision to remove Yoon Suk-yeol from office on May 29. The 8-0 ruling — the first unanimous impeachment verdict in South Korean history — triggered the mandatory 60-day election clock that compressed the campaign into weeks.
Lee survived a knife attack on May 31 when a man identified as a Busan resident lunged at him during a press conference at Busan City Hall. The suspect was wrestled to the ground by security and taken into custody. Lee sustained slash wounds to his neck requiring hospital treatment, but appeared in public on June 1 walking without assistance, visibly moved by scenes of supporters weeping at rallies.
The result marks a dramatic reversal for Lee, who lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon by the narrowest of margins — a race later invalidated after the courts found Yoon had violated election law. Lee’s return to the Blue House ends a period of political turbulence that saw Yoon’s sudden martial law declaration in December 2025 and his subsequent removal from office.
North Korea’s state media has not commented on the outcome as of late June 2. South Korea’s neighbours, including Japan and the United States, have sent congratulations. China, which had a complicated relationship with Yoon, has signalled it is prepared to work with the new administration. Lee is expected to be sworn in on July 3.
Written by Kenji Tanaka, Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief
Kenji Tanaka
Kenji Tanaka covers Asia Pacific security, technology, and geopolitics from Tokyo.