But Mr. Lee, who takes power Feb. 25, faces a potentially rocky transition period.
Prosecutors cleared him of involvement in a stock manipulation scam involving a bankrupt financial firm on Dec. 6, sparking fistfights in the National Assembly.
But he still faces a special investigation after new evidence — a videotape in which he purportedly admits having established the financial firm — was made public by the liberal United New Democratic Party (UNDP) on Sunday.
Once he takes office as president, Mr. Lee will be immune from criminal prosecution.
Mr. Chung, 54, the UNDP’s candidate, is a former TV anchor, but he is closely associated with the unpopular Roh Moo-hyun administration, which is perceived to have mismanaged the economy.
Other candidates included independent Lee Hoi-chang, an archconservative with an anti-North Korean platform, and Moon Kuk-hyun, a widely respected former businessman with no ethical issues but little political experience. Mr. Moon took about 5 percent of the vote.
'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Although contemporary American politics is an unforgiving environment, it’s still wide open to implement a legitimate worldview based on timeless Biblical values.
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