President Xi Jinping extended congratulations on Wednesday to Lee Jae-myung on his election as president of South Korea, expressing Beijing's readiness to work with Seoul to uphold good-neighborliness and friendship, and to stick to the goal of mutual benefit and win-win results.

Just hours after winning the South Korean presidency, Lee Jae-myung has pledged to "unite the people" in his inauguration speech on Wednesday. The 61-year-old won a snap election by 49.4% - a clear rejection of his rival, Kim Moon-soo, who came from the same party as impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol.