Korea’s (ROK) 21st Presidential Elections. After six months of political chaos, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Lee Jae-myung—with a historic 49.4% of the vote—emerged as the next president of South Korea. Lee’s decisive victory over the second runner-up People’s Power Party (PPP) nominee, Kim Moon-soo, ushers in a political transition as a new progressive administration takes the helm in South Korea. A pivotal moment for South Korean politics, the 2025 snap-elections followed 180 days of political turmoil after the previous President Yoon Suk Yeol disastrously imposed martial law on December 3, 2024. Although swiftly reversed, the martial law declaration shocked the nation and shook the essential foundations of South Korea’s democracy. Yoon’s actions resulted in his impeachment by the National Assembly in December and, later, official removal from office following the Constitutional Court’s unanimous 8-0 decision on April 4, 2025. Months later, Lee’s win signals a referendum against the conservative PPP, heralding the return of South Korea’s liberal party to office. As Lee takes office, he will need to balance domestic and foreign policy in South Korea’s increasingly entrenched partisan environment—but also implement ‘pragmatic’ foreign policy amid rising regional instability. Some in Washington quietly fear that stark changes to Seoul’s foreign policy agenda may be on the horizon. Challenges and opportunities await the new president as he seeks to address South Korea’s fierce and fractured political landscape, enact policies to boost the slowing economy, and reestablish the nation’s foreign relations with allies, partners, and, potentially, adversaries alike.
A ‘Pragmatic’ Foreign Policy Agenda: What’s Next for South Korea’s New President? • Stimson Center
