Lee Jae Myung

Lee Jae Myung (Korean: 이재명; pronounced [i.dʑɛ.mjʌŋ]; born c. 8 December 1963) is a South Korean politician and lawyer who is serving as the 14th president of South Korea since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), he served as the party's leader while representing Gyeyang B in the National Assembly from 2022 to 2025. Lee previously served as governor of Gyeonggi from 2018 to 2021 and as mayor of Seongnam from 2010 to 2018.

Born into a poor family in Andong, Lee began working at a Seongnam factory at an early age, where an accident left him disabled, instead of attending middle school. He earned middle and high school equivalency diplomas and graduated from Chung-Ang University with a law degree in 1986. As a human rights and labor lawyer, Lee worked with Minbyun to organize efforts advocating for opening a new hospital in Seongnam.

Lee entered politics in 2005 and ran in several elections without success. He was elected mayor of Seongnam in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. In 2017, he sought the DPK's presidential nomination but lost to Moon Jae-in. Lee resigned as mayor in 2018 to run for governor of Gyeonggi Province, won that race, and served until 2021. In 2022, he won his party's presidential nomination and narrowly lost the general election to Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party (PPP).

Lee survived an assassination attempt in January 2024. In November, he was convicted under the Public Official Election Act for falsely denying a connection to Kim Moon-ki, a former Seongnam Development Corporation executive, during his 2022 presidential campaign. During the 2024 martial law crisis, Lee drew international attention by climbing over the National Assembly building fence and livestreaming the event. He then helped lead the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol. After the Constitutional Court of Korea removed Yoon from office, Lee launched a third presidential bid in 2025, won the DPK nomination, and defeated the PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo in the presidential election.