the next president of South Korea,

defeating ruling party candidate and former cabinet member Kim Moon-soo.

Before the events of December 3, 2024, Lee Jae-myung's path to power was fraught with obstacles and complications. His presidential candidacy was about to be canceled due to multiple ongoing cases, as well as investigations into corruption allegations and abuse of power. Then a constitutional crisis changed everything.

That night, then-President Yoon Suk-yul's failed attempt to impose martial law set a new political trajectory, paving the way for Lee to come to power. Just six months later, the South Korean people elected Lee, the candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party, from a working-class teenager to the country's highest power.

Opinion polls before the election

indicated that Lee was ahead. And when the ruling party's candidate conceded defeat early on election day, the last obstacle facing Lee was removed.

From outsider to president

Coming from a poor family but with a strong political stance, Lee Jae-myung became known as a controversial figure in South Korea.

Dr. Lee Jun-han, a professor of political science and international relations at Incheon National University, told the BBC that Lee Jae-myung's life was full of ups and downs. Many of his actions sparked controversy.

He said Lee often took on progressive reform initiatives. Among them, his promise of a universal basic income in the 2022 election challenged the South Korean power structure at the time. For this reason, some strongly supported him, while others distrusted or disliked him.

According to him, he is a very controversial person and people don't even know him very well. Despite being an outsider, he has made a name for himself in a way that doesn't fit the norms of the traditional Democratic Party.

But he took a more moderate

approach in his election campaign. He emphasized the importance of big business and relations with the United States, especially the upcoming trade talks with Donald Trump. In a recent memoir, Lee also spoke about his "tragic" childhood.

Born in 1963 in a mountain village in Andong, Gyeongbuk Province, Lee was the fifth of five brothers and two sisters. Due to his family's difficult circumstances - he dropped out of high school to enter the workforce, even though he was illegitimate.

As a teenager, he was seriously injured when his hand got caught in a machine while working in a factory and his wrist was broken.