After half a year of political upheaval, many South Koreans heaved a sigh of relief as a new president was sworn in this week, promising to unify a divided nation and bolster a sagging economy.
But for many, hope was also mixed with anxiety about scale of challenges facing their new leader, even among some who voted for him.
Lee Jae-myung, the more progressive candidate, won a five-year term in the snap election to succeed his longtime rival, Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and ousted for declaring martial law in December, setting off a political crisis.
“It feels like we’re starting to get our country back,” said Lee Hye-ye, a 34-year-old office worker in the beauty industry in Seoul. Ms. Lee said she had faith that if the new president was “strong enough to get rid of Yoon, he’s strong enough to put the nation back on track.”
Her main concern when voting was the growing divide in the nation. Throughout his campaign, Mr. Lee spoke of the need to heal this division. He struck the same note on Wednesday, as supporters watching his speech on a large screen outside the Parliament building waved the South Korean flag and cheered. The mood was a contrast to six months earlier, when protesters galvanized by Mr. Lee gathered there to angrily demand Mr. Yoon’s removal.
“It is time to build a bridge of coexistence, reconciliation and solidarity,” Mr. Lee said. “The future beckons us.”
But Mr. Lee has also vowed to punish Mr. Yoon and his allies who attempted to take South Korea back decades to military rule. That effort may test his resolve to bring unity to the nation, where more than 40 percent voted this week for the party that Mr. Yoon used to belong to.
Mr. Lee’s “aggressive and vindictive behavior” toward his critics is “dangerous,” said Andrew Kim, 29, a management consultant living in Seoul who voted for Mr. Lee’s main election opponent, Kim Moon-soo. Mr. Kim said he also worried that Mr. Lee’s agenda was leftist and friendlier to China and North Korea, risking its alliance with the United States, South Korea’s only ally.
“Lee Jae-myung doesn’t have the ability to make any real change. I hope he just keeps the status quo until his term is over,” Mr. Kim said.
Some fear that Mr. Lee wields too much power. His Democratic Party has a majority of almost two-thirds in Parliament, making him one of the strongest presidents in recent history, able to pass legislation without effective opposition.
Many voters cast their ballots on more day-to-day concerns, like who they thought would best manage the nation’s economy, which shrank 0.2 percent in the first quarter. The currency and stock market plummeted after martial law and the announcement of Washington’s tariffs on the steel and auto industries, two key sectors in South Korea’s economy.
Park Hee-jun, a 42-year-old electronics manufacturing worker in Seoul, said he had tired of working long hours with little recognition and few legal safeguards. Mr. Park said legal loopholes have led to his chronic overworking, sometimes in excess of 80 hours a week.
Mr. Lee “used to be one of us. He knows what we need,” he said. Before his decades-long career as a politician, Mr. Lee toiled as a factory worker.
Turnout for the election was almost 80 percent, the highest since 1997, according to the National Election Commission, reflecting the high stakes.
Lee June-seong, a 25-year-old university student in Seoul, said he was excited that Mr. Lee won, because he expects the new president to be more attentive to the needs of the people. But he had concerns about South Korea on the international stage, such as the new government’s ability to successfully continue the tariff negotiations with the United States that began before Mr. Lee took office.
The student said he and many of his peers were worried about the limited openings for entry-level jobs and the dim prospects of ever becoming a homeowner. But he felt encouraged by the prospect of South Korea’s return to a more stable political environment.
“I hope the government can help recover our country into a society that is led by democracy,” he said.
Jin Yu Young reports on South Korea, the Asia Pacific region and global breaking news from Seoul.
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