How South Korea's new president could shake up the region
Seoul, South Korea (CNN)South Korea's new president is taking power at a turbulent time for the country and the path he carves could shake up the region.
Conservative Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party secured the election by a razor-thin margin Wednesday, pulling ahead of rival Lee Jae-myung by less than one percentage point.
Yoon is a newcomer to politics, having spent the last 27 years of his career as a prosecutor -- but he will face an array of challenges when he replaces liberal incumbent President Moon Jae-in in the Blue House on May 10.
Threats from North Korea are high on the agenda -- as well as rising tensions between South Korea's partners, the US and China. Yoon will have his hands full with domestic issues as well, with a growing "gender war" and surging Covid-19 cases.
Here's what a Yoon presidency could mean for South Korea.
Hardline on North Korea
Much of Yoon's campaign focused on his tough stance on North Korea -- a departure from Moon's current approach, which has consistently promoted dialogue and peaceful reconciliation.
Inter-Korean relations have been a key electoral issue, with tensions running high amid a recent surge in North Korean missile testing. The country has launched nine missile tests in 2022 alone, including a new type of "hypersonic missile" able to maneuver at high speed -- prompting condemnation from the South.
Talks between the two Koreas have stalled since a planned US-North Korea summit fell apart in 2019, said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute, ahead of the election. "It's unlikely to expect any progress in denuclearization negotiations unless the next government comes up with a sophisticated denuclearization solution that is acceptable to both the US and North Korea," he added.
Yoon's main rival in the election, Lee, from the Democratic Party, had supported the kind of reciprocal, trust-based engagement sought by Moon. Yoon, by contrast, has promised to build up South Korea's military, even hinting that he would launch a pre-emptive strike if he saw signs of an offensive launch against Seoul.
Throughout his campaign, Yoon has slammed the Democratic Party's "subservient North Korea policy," vowing not to ease sanctions or prepare a peace treaty until the North "makes active efforts in complete and verifiable denuclearization."
Speaking in Seoul on January 24, Yoon added that the door to diplomacy and dialogue will "always be left open" -- but that he would pursue a peace that is "based on strong national defense posture, not of submission."
"We will build a powerful military force that can assuredly deter any provocation to protect the safety and property of our citizens and safeguard the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our nation," Yoon said.
But experts warn this harder line could see relations worsen between the two countries. Some fear military tensions could return to the crisis levels seen in 2017, when North Korea's aggressive weapons testing and advancement prompted US-South Korea shows of military force, as well as a threat from then-US President Donald Trump to unleash "fire and fury like the world has never seen."
Cheong, from the Sejong Institute, said it seemed clear that Yoon's election would cause inter-Korean relations to "return to the hostile relationship of the Cold War era."
The US-China tightrope
Yoon's win will also likely shift South Korea's relationship with two feuding global superpowers: the US and China.
For years, the country has walked a tightrope of a close security alliance with the US, and a growing economic relationship with China -- but "the time and period for that kind of tradition is ending," said Kim Jiyoon, research fellow at Sogang University's Institute of Social Sciences.
While Lee suggested he would try to balance both partnerships, Yoon has made clear which he will prioritize.
"South Korea and the United States share an alliance forged in blood as we have fought together to protect freedom against the tyranny of communism," Yoon said in January, adding that the country must "rebuild this alliance."
As part of this push, Yoon has suggested he would seek the installment of a second anti-ballistic missile system -- which would undoubtedly provoke fury from China.
South Korea first announced in 2016 it would deploy the US-built Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) defense system to defend against North Korean missile threats. That sparked a year-long diplomatic feud with China, which argued the missile system would jeopardize its own national security.
It also saw public sentiment sour between the two, with some Chinese citizens calling for boycotts of South Korean goods, and even destroying popular products such as makeup in performative protests.
Under the new administration,"it is inevitable that South Korea-China relations will deteriorate again, further narrowing South Korea's diplomatic position and taking a certain blow to the Korean economy," Cheong said.
Yoon has also pointed to the technological advantages of a closer alliance with the US, arguing it could help South Korea maintain its edge against "competitive nations including China."
At a summit last year between Moon and US President Joe Biden, both leaders reaffirmed their military alliance and agreed to expand cooperation in the areas of technology, the economy, the environment and public health. A joint statement afterward praised the US-South Korea relationship as "the linchpin for stability and prosperity."
Yoon's position reflects public sentiment in the South, which is currently "hawkish and very hardline," said Kim from Sogang University. This is probably "the highest antagonism for China shared by the Korean public -- which means a very strong and friendly feeling toward the United States," she added.
That feeling appears to be reciprocated. Biden and Yoon had a call on Thursday, with the US President inviting Yoon to visit the White House. Biden added that he hoped for deeper bilateral relations with South Korea and that "close coordination ... regarding North Korean policy will be important."
Problems at homeYoon faces plenty of challenges at home, too, including the Covid-19 pandemic, corruption, polarized politics -- and gender equality, another key issue that has defined this election.South Korea's gender war intensified in the run-up to the election, with young voters increasingly split along gender lines.Facing a hypercompetitive job market and skyrocketing housing prices, so-called "anti-feminists" claimed the country's bid to address gender inequality had tipped too far in women's favor. Feminists, meanwhile, pointed to the country's widespread sexual violence, entrenched gender expectations, and low female representation in boardrooms and in politics as examples of how discrimination against women is still rife.Both leading presidential candidates leaned into the issue, with Lee voicing support for women's rights while Yoon actively courted votes among anti-feminists. One of Yoon's major campaign promises was to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family -- claiming it is unfair to men. He also promised to raise the penalty for falsely reporting sex crimes.CNN approached Yoon's office for comment on his gender policies but did not receive a response.Anti-feminists have made themselves a powerful voting bloc in South Korea. Last April, Moon's Democratic Party lost mayoral elections in both Seoul and its second largest city Busan, with exit polls showing young men in their 20s had overwhelmingly shifted their vote to Yoon's People Power Party.As the election approached, some worried that if Yoon won, gender divisions could widen even further, and the women's rights movement could be set back."The gender gap is the widest among the young generation," Kim said. "If you go up to the older generation, it's actually converging, but it's the widest and the most divergent between young females and young males."  By Jessie Yeung, Yoonjung Seo and Paula Hancocks, CNN Updated 0914 GMT (1714 HKT) March 10, 2022
South Korea elects opposition conservative Yoon Suk Yeol to be next president By Yoonjung Seo, CNN
Updated 0156 GMT (0956 HKT) March 10, 2022
Yoon Suk Yeol celebrates his election win at People Power Party headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday.
Seoul, South Korea (CNN)Conservative Yoon Suk Yeol is set to become South Korea's next president after Lee Jae-myung, from the ruling Democratic Party, conceded defeat.
In a nail-biting vote, the opposition leader won 48.56% of the ballot share, ahead of Lee's 47.83%, with 99.99% of the total votes counted, South Korea's National Election Commission said on Thursday. Incumbent Moon Jae-in was not allowed to run for a second term as the presidency is a single term of five years in South Korea. In a speech at party headquarters in Seoul, Lee blamed himself for the defeat. "Fellow Koreans, we did our best, but we did not live up to expectations," he said. "I would like to express my apologies to the many citizens of the country who have left their daily lives behind and have been with us. Thank you for your passionate devotion," he added, according to Lee's campaign. "This is all because of my shortcomings. This is not your defeat nor the Democratic Party's defeat. All responsibility rests solely on me," he said. Yoon pledged unity in his victory speech. "Now, the competition is over, and we should unite for the people and the Republic of Korea," he said, adding, "Today's result is a victory by the great people."
Yoon is a newcomer to politics, having spent the last 27 years of his career as a prosecutor. He began his political career after serving as the chief prosecutor that led high-profile investigations into corruption scandals that plagued President Moon's aides. Yoon's victory puts the Korean government back in conservative hands, more than five years after conservative Park Geun-hye was impeached over her own corruption scandal. Yoon must deal with threats from North Korea, rising tensions between the US and China, and lead South Korea through the next stage of the pandemic. Lee sent congratulations to his rival: "Congratulations to Yoon Suk Yeol. I earnestly ask the President elect to usher in an era of unity and harmony beyond division and conflict." "I still believe in our people. Our people were great. Even during the Covid-19 crisis, you showed a high sense of democracy with a high voter turnout. As long as you are there, Korea will keep moving forward. I hope that we will overcome the Covid-19 crisis as soon as possible and return to our daily lives," Lee said.  A man looks at election posters in Seoul, South Korea, ahead of the March 9 presidential election. South Korea to elect new leader to tackle soaring house prices and inequality Story by Reuters
Updated 2223 GMT (0623 HKT) March 8, 2022
Some 44 million South Koreans head to polls to elect the country's next president on Wednesday, capping a race that has been marked by a series of surprises, scandals and smear campaigns.
The winner of the election will face mounting challenges including deepening inequality and surging housing prices that have strained Asia's fourth-largest economy. Voters are also looking for a leader who can root out corruption, heal the divided nation and polarised politics, and kick-start negotiations to curb North Korea's evolving nuclear threat. A total of 14 candidates initially registered, but it has shaped up as a tight two-way race between Lee Jae-myung, the standard-bearer of the ruling Democratic Party, and Yoon Suk-yeol, from the conservative main opposition People Power Party. They are vying to succeed incumbent President Moon Jae-in, who is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection. The winner's single, five-year term is set to start on May 10. Polls showed a slight edge for Yoon, who secured a surprise, last-minute boost last week when Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Party, a fellow conservative running a distant third, dropped out and threw his support behind Yoon.
A survey by Embrain Public estimated the merger could give Yoon 47.4% to Lee's 41.5%, while an Ipsos poll tipped the margin with Ahn at a slightly wider 48.9% to 41.9% for Yoon. A former prosecutor general, Yoon has vowed to fight corruption, foster justice and create a more level playing field, while seeking a harder line toward North Korea and a "reset" with China. Lee was governor of the country's most populous province of Gyeonggi and shot to fame on the back of his aggressive coronavirus responses and advocacy for universal basic income. Both candidates' disapproval ratings matched their popularity as scandals, mud-slinging and gaffes dominated what was dubbed the "unlikeable election." Yoon had apologised over his wife's use of an inaccurate resume for teaching jobs years ago. He denied Democrats' accusations that his mother-in-law made massive profits from land speculation and took out tens of billions of won in loans from a bank investigated by a prosecutor's office where Yoon worked. Yoon has also dismissed allegations from Lee's campaign that Yoon's wife had colluded with a former chairman of a BMW dealer in South Korea in rigging company stock prices. Lee, for his part, has apologized for his son's illegal gambling. He faces a potential criminal investigation over allegations he illegally hired a provincial employee as his wife's personal aide, and that she misappropriated government funds through his corporate credit cards. Lee and his wife have apologized for causing public concern and said they would cooperate with any investigation. The race faced a number of disruptions, with the Democrat leader steering Lee's campaign hospitalised on Monday after a rare attack during a rally. And amid South Korea's worst COVID-19 wave with more than 1 million treating at home, election authorities hurriedly tightened voting procedures for patients on Monday amid uproar over early voting irregularities over the weekend.
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