Wednesday, June 4

Lee Jae-myung has been elected as the new president of South Korea, beating the party of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and sued for abusing his power after declaring martial law six months ago.

Back in December, then-President Yoon Suk Yeol placed the country under martial law, coming as a shock to residents, allies, and even his own party. Martial law is when a country is temporarily placed under military rule, and it usually is declared during times of war, like Ukraine's situation with Russia. Yoon claimed that his opposition was scheming with North Korea to create a plot to take him down, forcing him to take action.

However, due to the fact that martial law is similar to temporary authoritarian rule, the move sparked outrage among the people of South Korea, most of which have experienced a time without democracy, as the country shifted to become a democratic state in 1987. Additionally, the Parliament quickly convened after the announcement and repealed his order-- but the damage was done.

Less than two weeks later, he was impeached, and that ruling was upheld by South Korea's Supreme Court in April. He is also now facing criminal charges for abusing his power, which could put him in hot water in the future.

Now, it is clear that a significant portion of the population seems to have lost faith in Yoon's party, the People Power Party (PPP), after their new candidate, Kim Moon-soo, lost the latest election by a massive margin. After Yoon beat Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung in the last election, Lee took the win by a staggering 8% in this election, and many voters did not even care for his agenda; they simply did not want to vote for the PPP.

As president, Lee will be tasked with uniting a heavily-divided country, especially when it comes to politics. Views on Yoon and his actions are extremely split, and while Lee plans to move forward, it may be tougher than expected. He will also need to mend South Korea's bond with their strongest ally, the United States, as the weight of Donald Trump's latest tariffs have strained relations between the two countries.

Fact of the Day (BBC): The biggest butterfly in the world has a one-foot wingspan. It belongs to the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing butterfly, which you can find in the forests of the Oro Province, in the east of Papua New Guinea.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I’m really happy to be me, and I’d like to think people like me more because I’m happy with myself and not because I refuse to conform to anything. (Adele)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Tutelage (noun, TOO-tuh-lij) - Tutelage is a formal word that refers to the instruction or guidance especially of an individual student by a teacher. Tutelage may also refer to an act or process of serving as guardian or protector.

In a Sentence: Under the tutelage of his high school swim coach, Luis has greatly improved his times at meets.