Conservative opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol has narrowly won South Korea’s presidential election, marking a turning point for the world’s tenth-largest economy after a bitter and closely-fought campaign marred by allegations of corruption and sleaze.
Yoon, 61, a career prosecutor who entered politics just last year, edged out his rival Lee Jae-myung of the progressive Democratic party by a margin of less than 1 per cent with 98 per cent of votes counted. Lee conceded defeat in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“The race is over and now we need to be united as one for the sake of the people and the country,” Yoon told supporters and officials from the conservative People Power party.