‘Korean Donald Trump’ emerges from the chaos in Seoul

The man now in charge of the republic used to style himself after Bernie Sanders but changed his tune – and has won

On June 3, 2025, a snap presidential election was held in the Republic of Korea in which Democratic candidate Lee Jae-myung won with over 49% of the vote.

The election followed an attempt on December 3, 2024 to impose martial law in the country, which led the Constitutional Court to unanimously vote for the impeachment of then-President Yoon Suk-yeol.