By all accounts, South Korea’s presidential election has been less about political ambition than it has been a referendum on the state of democracy itself. The landslide victory of Democratic Party candidate Lee Jaemyung comes not merely as a comeback, but as a collective rebuke to months of authoritarian overreach, political dysfunction, and a national reckoning with democratic identity. Mr Lee’s return to the top political stage is nothing short of remarkable. Just three years ago, he narrowly lost the presidency to his impeached predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party (PPP). Now, amid the fallout of Mr Yoon’s catastrophic attempt to declare martial law — an act that not only led to his impeachment and criminal prosecution but also triggered the worst constitutional crisis in years — voters have handed Mr Lee a decisive mandate.

But it would be a mistake to read........

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