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0Outspoken South Korea Leftist Survived Stabbing on Path to Power
04/06/2025, Bloomberg
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Lee Jae-myung, the tenacious left-leaning maverick who became South Korea’s new president on Wednesday, has spent a lifetime picking himself off the canvas to fight again.
Lying on a hospital bed in intensive care after an assailant stabbed him in the jugular in early 2024, Lee was battling for his life. For many politicians that might have been the right time to throw in the towel on a career of public service, but these are the moments of adversity that fire Lee up.
Much like Donald Trump, who also suffered an assassination attempt in 2024, Lee finds political capital and motivation in the setbacks and opposition he faces as he refuses thoughts of giving up.
“Since my life was saved by our people, I will dedicate the rest of it solely to serving them,” Lee said as he left hospital after eight days of hospitalization following the attack in the port city of Busan. “If we can restore politics based on respect and coexistence, I’ll have no regrets even if that takes up the rest of my life.”
Lee’s populist delivery has sometimes drawn parallels with the US president, but the South Korean’s policies have in the past hewed much closer to the progressive values of Bernie Sanders.
But with momentum favoring him in the chaos that followed former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched attempt to impose martial law six months ago, Lee has inched ever closer to the political center. The shift underscores his determination to finally get across the finish line and become the nation’s leader, following his razor-thin loss to the conservative Yoon three years ago.
Lee has shown he has the perseverance and commitment to try to unite the nation, restore growth to the sputtering economy and cut deals with Trump on US trade and troops. Still, his polarizing personality may be the one hurdle he can’t overcome.
“He has proved to be a political survivor, after legal scandals, questionable opposition tactics, and even threats to his life,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “Yet his victory is not thanks to any particular policy proposals, but rather a result of Yoon’s spectacular collapse.”
