Lee Jae-myung takes office on the back of the highest voting turnout in recent elections, which followed three different interim presidents, protests and legal battles that exposed rifts in one of Asia's most successful democracies.

Facing a complex set of thorny challenges at home and abroad, Lee Jae-myung says he will deal with them with “pragmatism.”

The victory by Lee Jae-myung, who has warned against South Korea becoming overly dependent on the U.S., could lead to a shift in Seoul’s relations with China and North Korea.