Lee Jae-myung Declares Victory in Presidential Election

On June 3, 2025, at approximately 11:45 PM, Lee Jae-myung (이재명), the presidential candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea (더불어민주당), stepped out of his home in Incheon to address supporters as he made his way to the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. He expressed his respect for the 'great decision of the people.'

While acknowledging that the vote counting was still ongoing, he stated, 'If the results are confirmed as they stand, I pay my respects to the great decision of our citizens.' He further committed to fulfilling the significant responsibilities and duties entrusted to him, ensuring he meets the expectations of the public.

Accompanied by his wife, Kim Hye-kyung (김혜경), Lee offered his gratitude to supporters before departing for Yeouido in a security vehicle. He is expected to watch the vote counting broadcast and deliver a speech at an outdoor stage in front of the National Assembly.

Major broadcasting networks KBS, MBC, and SBS reported around 11:40 PM that Lee's victory was 'certain.' According to the National Election Commission, as of 11:42 PM, the vote count stood at 41.27%, with Lee Jae-myung receiving 48.89% of the votes, while his opponent Kim Moon-soo (김문수) from the People Power Party (국민의힘) garnered 42.77%.

Other candidates included Lee Jun-seok (이준석) from the Reform Party, who received 7.29%, and Kwon Young-guk (권영국) from the Democratic Labor Party, who received 0.92%.

In the early stages of the vote count, Kim was leading, with Lee at 45.60% and Kim at 46.35% when the count reached 5%. However, by the time the count hit 15%, Lee had overtaken Kim, leading with 46.77% to Kim's 45.02%.

A joint exit poll conducted by KBS, MBC, and SBS predicted that Lee Jae-myung would receive 51.7% of the votes, while Kim Moon-soo was expected to receive 39.3%. Lee Jun-seok was projected to secure 7.7%. This exit poll was conducted by the Joint Prediction Survey Committee (KEP) across 325 polling stations, surveying 80,146 voters, with a margin of error of ±0.8% at a 95% confidence level.