South Koreans elect Yoon as new president

dpa Seoul South Koreans have elected conservative opposition politician Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party (PPP) to be their new president. The candi...

dpa SeoulSouth Koreans have elected conservative opposition politician Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party (PPP) to be their new president.The candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Lee Jae Myung, conceded defeat and congratulated Yoon on winning the presidential election, Yonhap news agency reported.Yoon, considered a political newcomer, will succeed social-liberal President Moon Jae In, who cannot stand for re-election after five years in office.The next president is due to take office in May.In an expected tight race between the top two candidates, Yoon secured 48.6% of the vote after 98% of the ballots were counted. Lee achieved 47.8%. Other candidates were not considered to have a chance.A total of 14 candidates had registered for the election.According to preliminary data from the national election commission, voter turnout was 77.1%, slightly below the level in the 2017 presidential election.Nearly 44.2 million people were eligible to vote.Yoon is expected to take a tougher stance on isolated neighbour North Korea.Both candidates had set their sights on a significant economic recovery from the consequences of the pandemic.