The 20th presidential election, whose outcome remained unpredictable until the final vote count, concluded, and on the morning of March 10, 2022, the Republic of Korea welcomed its new president-elect. Ultimately, candidate Yoon Suk-yeol was elected by a narrow margin of 0.7 percentage points. I recall the flustered expression on Yoo Si-min’s face when early voting ballots were counted first during the initial vote-counting broadcast, and the peculiar atmosphere felt in the opening remarks of the next day’s episode of Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory.

While I had anticipated a close race, seeing the regional election results home-sweet-home brought home the stark reality that South Korea is emotionally divided. While every society inevitably divides into conservatives and progressives, this presidential election reaffirmed how regional and generational conflicts, even gender conflicts, were exploited for political gain. Furthermore, from the primary stage onward, the candidates only intensified their negative attacks, pushing policies and pledges that would determine the nation’s future to the back burner. The public fell into political disillusionment, and a parody interview video of the candidates on SNL Korea garnered over a million views.

Personally, I consider it a fortunate outcome for the Republic of Korea’s liberal democracy that we managed to block candidate Lee Jae-myung, whose radical left-wing leanings included a discrimination prohibition law threatening Christian family values and a basic income policy risking the foundations of the market economy. The ‘Daejang-dong real estate development cartel,’ whose full nature remained unclear throughout the election period, began with suspicions of preferential treatment in permits and approvals during Governor Lee Jae-myung’s tenure and came to light through Hwacheon Daeyu. Particularly, the revelation that corrupt legal figures, including former lawmaker Kwak Sang-do, each received 5 billion won from major shareholder Kim Man-bae led to the coining of the new term **‘50 Billion Club’**.

Leaving this turmoil and conflict behind, I rise at 4:30 a.m. today to pray for the Republic of Korea and begin my day with vigor.