Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was sworn in as South Korea’s next president on Wednesday following a dramatic snap election six months after the country’s previous leader declared martial law and plunged the nation into chaos.

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.

South Korea woke on Wednesday to a new liberal president, Lee Jae-myung, who vowed to raise the country from the turmoil of a martial law crisis and revive an economy reeling from slowing growth and the threat of global protectionism.