Joel Atkinson is a professor in the Graduate School of International and Area Studies (GSIAS) at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, where he researches and teaches East Asian international politics.
New South Korean president Lee Jae-myung campaigned under the slogan: “Now is Lee Jae-myung.” Unhumble perhaps, but not wrong. With a pragmatic shift toward the center and a new softer image — plus blunders from his opponents — he won by a considerable margin.
