elect Lee Myung-bak Wins by Landslide

Conservative Winner Appeals for National Unity

By Yoon Won-sup

Staff Reporter

Lee Myung-bak of the conservative opposition Grand National Party (GNP) won a landslide victory on his conservative, pragmatic and pro-American platforms Wednesday, ending 10 years of liberal rule.

Lee secured 47.8 percent of the vote, defeating Chung Dong-young of the liberal United New Democratic Party (UNDP) with 26.9 percent and independent Lee Hoi-chang with 15.3 percent as of 11 p.m., according to the National Election Commission (NEC).

Lee's victory symbolized Koreans voted for bread-and-butter issues over ideological ones, and probably shrugged off his possible involvement in a financial fraud.

In a speech to the nation, the President-elect said that he will do his utmost to revive the economy as a top priority, but avoided touching on the fraud case involving himself.