The U.S. ally has been without a permanent leader since late last year, when Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached over his botched declaration of martial law.

South Korea’s presidential election result was never really in doubt. The real question is which version of Lee Jae-myung will now govern the highly polarized nation of 50 million.

Lee Jae-myung, the liberal South Korean politician elected on Tuesday as the country's next leader, overcame a knife attack, martial law and criminal charges on his unexpected path to the presidency.