2022 South Korean presidential election
Updated: Wikipedia source
Presidential elections were held in South Korea on 9 March 2022. Under the South Korean constitution, presidents are restricted to a single five-year term, meaning that incumbent president Moon Jae-in was ineligible to run for a second term. Opposition candidate Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party won the election, defeating candidate Lee Jae Myung of the incumbent Democratic Party. Both main parties had unusually intense primary elections. Upon its nomination of Lee Jae Myung, the second-place Democratic Party candidate Lee Nak-yon called for an appeal of the results, until being forced to concede. In the PPP, frontrunner Yoon and party chairman Lee Jun-seok frequently clashed over Yoon's performance and perceived apathy towards debates with other candidates. The People Party nominated Ahn Cheol-soo and the Justice Party nominated Sim Sang-jung. Economic inequality, recovery from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, antifeminist sentiment and housing issues were prominent topics during the election. Analysts observed increased political polarization, record low popularity amongst the candidates, infighting within both main political parties, as well as a negative or divisive tone throughout campaigning. After discussing a potential merger for some time, Ahn withdrew his campaign on 3 March, 6 days before the election, and endorsed Yoon. In the closest presidential election in South Korean history, Yoon won the most overall votes and the key area of Seoul, but lost in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon. In addition, this was the country's first ever direct presidential election in which the national winner failed to secure Jeju Province, a traditional bellwether region. In 2025, following Yoon's impeachment and removal from office, Lee would go on to succeed him as president following a successful bid for the presidency in the 2025 presidential election.