Expert's take on result of S. Korea's 2022 presidential election

It was quite the night with Yoon grabbing a very close victory over his liberal rival, Lee Jae-myung.
As South Korea wakes up to the dawn of a new administration due to start, this time under the leadership of a conservative, the political landscape of the nation is froecast to start looking much different in the months and years to come.
For more on the election, Yoon's win and its implications, let's get an expert's take on the situation.
We connect to Mason Richey, Professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Thanks for joining us.
Firstly, your reaction to Yoon's victory. Was it something you expected? And do you think Ahn Cheol-soo's decision to drop out last minute and back Yoon probably nudged him over the line?

What are the key issues soon-to-be President Yoon Suk-yeol will be forced to tackle? Many pundits say it should be cooling the overheated housing market and creating good quality jobs. Do you agree?

Many people have been critical of how the campaigns were run - instead of clearly explaining their policies, Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung attacked each other's characters. Do you think this might've disillusioned many voters?

The race was extremely tight. Yoon will be president from May, but his party is still the minority in the National Assembly. How hard is this going to make it for him to push through his agenda if the Democratic Party block his every move at the legislative level?

Life for many people in South Korea has been really tough over the past few years with skyrocketing housing prices, high unemployment and all the COVID-restrictions, do you expect Yoon to preoccupy himself with domestic issues over international policy?

Finally, what kind of relationship do you think Yoon will try and foster with the leaders of the United States, China, Japan and North Korea?

Mason, thanks for joining us. It was a pleasure speaking with you.

#Presidential_election #YoonSukyeol #2022presidentialelection

2022-03-10, 10:00 (KST)