By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lee Jae-myung, who rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea’s leading liberal politician vowing to fight inequality and corruption, was elected president Wednesday in an election that closed one of the most turbulent chapters in the nation’s young democracy.

Lee, 60, the candidate of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, is to take office later Wednesday for a full, single five-year term, succeeding Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was felled over his stunning yet brief imposition of martial law in December.

It was unclear whether Lee’s election would cause any major, immediate shift in South Korea’s foreign policy. Lee, previously accused by critics of tilting toward China and North Korea and away from the U.S. and Japan, has repeatedly stressed South Korea’s alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of its foreign policy.

The toughest external challenges awaiting the new president are U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. But experts say whoever becomes president can’t do much to secure major progress in South Korea’s favor on those issues.

As of 3 a.m. Wednesday, with over 97% of the votes counted, Lee obtained 49% of the votes cast, while main conservative contender Kim Moon-soo trailed with 41.6% — a gap of more than 2.5 million votes that was impossible to overcome mathematically.

Pre-election surveys have long suggested Lee appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon’s martial law debacle.

Even before Lee’s win was formally declared, Kim conceded, telling journalists he “humbly accepts the people’s choice” and congratulated Lee.

Earlier, Lee appeared before thousands of cheering supporters in the streets of Seoul. He didn’t formally claim victory but reiterated his major policy goals such as revitalizing the economy, promoting peace with North Korea and easing a domestic divide.

“Let us move forward with hope and make a fresh start from this moment on,” he said. “Though we may have clashed for some time, even those who did not support us are still our fellow citizens of the Republic of Korea.”

Pragmatic diplomacy

Lee, who served as governor of Gyeonggi province and mayor of Seongnam city, has been a highly divisive figure in politics for years.

As a former child laborer known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story, Lee came to fame through biting criticism of the country’s conservative establishment and calls to build a more assertive South Korea in foreign policy. That rhetoric has given him an image as someone who can institute sweeping reforms and fix the country’s deep-seated economic inequality and corruption.

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His critics view him as a dangerous populist who relies on political division and backpedals on promises too easily.

On foreign policy, Lee has vowed to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He has promised to solidify a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership, a stance that isn’t much different from the position held by South Korea’s conservatives.

He said he would pursue better ties with North Korea but acknowledged that it would be “very difficult” to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un anytime soon. This signals Lee won’t likely initiate any drastic steps meant to improve relations with North Korea.

Experts say there aren’t many diplomatic options for South Korea as it tries to address Trump’s tariff hikes and calls for South Korea to pay more for the cost of the U.S. military presence, as well as North Korea’s headlong pursuit of nuclear weapons. Experts say that has made both Lee and Kim Moon Soo avoid unveiling ambitious foreign policy goals.

Paik Wooyeal, a professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University, said foreign policy strategists for Lee understand there isn’t much South Korea can do to bring about a denuclearization of North Korea. Paik said Lee also doesn’t share the Korean nationalistic zeal held by ex-liberal President Moon Jae-in, who met Kim Jong Un three times during his 2017-22 term.

Impact of tariff hikes

Lee’s government still could become engaged in “a little bit of friction” with the Trump administration, while a Kim Moon Soo government, which prioritizes relations with Washington, would likely offer more concessions to the U.S., said Chung Jin-young, a former dean of the Graduate School of Pan-Pacific International Studies at South Korea’s Kyung Hee University.

Chung predicted Lee won’t be able to pursue overly drastic steps on foreign policy and security, given the country’s foreign exchange and financial markets are vulnerable to such changes.

Lee has preached patience over Trump’s tariff policy, arguing it would be a mistake to rush negotiations in pursuit of an early agreement with Washington. Kim Moon Soo has said he would meet with Trump as soon as possible.

On Monday, South Korean trade officials held an emergency meeting to discuss a response to Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will raise tariffs on steel and aluminum products to 50% beginning Wednesday. South Korea’s central bank last week sharply lowered its 2025 growth outlook to 0.8%, citing the potential impact of Trump’s tariff hikes and weak domestic demand worsened by the political turmoil of past months.

Healing domestic divide

The election serves as another defining moment in the country’s resilient democracy, but observers worry a domestic divide could pose a big political burden on the new president.

The past six months saw large crowds of people rallying to either denounce or support Yoon, while a leadership vacuum caused by Yoon’s impeachment and ensuing formal dismissal rattled the country’s high-level diplomatic activities and financial markets.

Lee has promised to heal the national split, but his vow to thoroughly hold those involved in Yoon’s martial law stunt accountable has sparked concerns that he would use investigations to launch political retaliations against his opponents.

In a Facebook posting earlier Tuesday, Lee called for voters to “deliver a stern and resolute judgement” against the conservatives over martial law. In a campaign speech Monday, Lee claimed that a win by Kim Moon Soo would mean the “return of the rebellion forces, the destruction of democracy and the deprival of people’s human rights.”

Kim, a former labor minister under Yoon, claimed that a Lee win would allow him to wield excessive power.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writer

If McDonald’s ever doubted it needed to bring back the Snack Wrap, consider this: Nine years after the fast-food powerhouse discontinued the item in the U.S., customers have continued to order it at drive-thrus.

Those customers won’t have to leave empty-handed for long. On Tuesday, McDonald’s announced that a new version of the Snack Wrap will go on sale July 10.

McDonald’s invented the Snack Wrap — a tortilla full of chicken, lettuce, shredded cheese and sauce — almost two decades ago to make it easier to eat its chicken on the go. But it was too complicated for its kitchens to prepare, so the burger giant abandoned the Snack Wrap in the U.S. in 2016.

The decision devastated fans like Alicia Force, a musician and administrative assistant at a high school in Missouri. Force tried to make Snack Wraps at home and sampled alternatives from Arby’s and other restaurants, but nothing was the same. So she started a Facebook group with 86 members urging McDonald’s to resurrect the Snack Wrap.

Other loyal noshers weighed in too. A Change.org petition asking McDonald’s to bring back the Snack Wrap has nearly 19,000 signatures. A TikTok video showing a U.S. food reviewer eating Snack Wraps in Ireland — where they’re still sold — racked up more than 1.4 million views.

It had an impact. McDonald’s began teasing a Snack Wrap reappearance earlier this year.

“We listen to our fans, and the Snack Wrap’s return is a testament to that,” McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger told The Associated Press.

But McDonald’s has other reasons for the reboot. The Snack Wrap’s lower price point could lure back inflation-weary customers, who have been eating fewer fast-food meals in recent months. The wraps’ smaller size and tortilla casing also appeal to the health-conscious.

Steve Davis, a mental health counselor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, used to buy six grilled chicken Snack Wraps at a time and keep them in his fridge as a grab-and-go snack.

“I’m not actually a fast-food fan, but Snack Wraps felt different, like I was eating an actual ‘wrap.’ I felt like I was being healthier,” Davis said.

Snack Wraps will also help McDonald’s compete with a growing number of rivals. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen introduced its own chicken wraps on Monday, while Burger King and Wendy’s have sold them since 2023. Even the convenience store chain Wawa sells a chicken wrap.

“There’s so much opportunity in the chicken category,” Erlinger said. Fast-food chicken sales are nearly twice the size of beef and are growing more quickly across the globe, Erlinger said.

Reviving the Snack Wrap was a years-long process, Erlinger said. First, McDonald’s wanted to develop a better fried chicken strip. After several years of testing, the Chicago-based company debuted its peppery McCrispy Strips in early May.

McDonald’s also had to update its Snack Wrap tools, simplify the preparation process and train workers at its 13,500 U.S. restaurants, Erlinger said.

“With this being one of our most highly anticipated menu items, we knew we had one chance to knock it out of the park. It had to be easy for crew to execute,” Erlinger said.

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For the U.S. comeback, McDonald’s is offering fewer kinds of Snack Wraps to ensure faster service. It used to have both grilled and fried chicken options, but it’s only offering fried chicken in the U.S. for now. And the relaunched Snack Wraps will only come in two flavors: Ranch or Spicy. The company used to offer additional sauces like honey mustard and sweet chili.

That could disappoint some fans. Force was partial to a Snack Wrap with honey mustard sauce, for example. Davis always got grilled chicken on his Snack Wraps, and he rarely went to McDonald’s after they disappeared.

McDonald’s continues to have a wider range of options in some other markets where Snack Wraps never went away. Canada still offers grilled or fried chicken in its Snack Wraps, for example, as well as chicken, fish and breakfast versions of full-sized wraps. McDonald’s wouldn’t say if it plans to add more Snack Wrap varieties in the U.S.

“We’ll continue listening to our fans when it comes to menu innovations,” the company said.

Snack Wraps are returning at a sluggish period for fast-food restaurants. From January through April, U.S. fast-food traffic was down 1% compared to the same period a year ago, said David Portalatin, a senior vice president and industry advisor for food service at market research firm Circana.

McDonald’s same-store sales – or sales at locations open at least a year – were down 3.6% in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year. Its same-store sales grew less than 1% in 2024.

Inflation is the main culprit, Portalatin said. In the first quarter of this year, the average check at a U.S. fast-food restaurant was up 41% from the same period in 2019, he said. The higher prices have led many Americans – especially middle- to lower-income families – to eat at home instead of going out.

McDonald’s has tried to counter that with a limited McValue menu and increased deals. But less expensive options like a Snack Wrap may also help.

The company won’t say how much the Snack Wrap will cost in the U.S. because prices will vary by location. But Burger King’s prices may give a clue. At a Michigan restaurant this week, Burger King charged $2.99 for its Royal Crispy Wrap, the 310-calorie equivalent of a Snack Wrap. Burger King’s Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich, with a bun, a larger chicken breast and nearly twice the calories, cost $5.49.

Portalatin said snack-sized options from McDonald’s and others also reflect Americans’ changing dining habits. More people are choosing to eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of having having breakfast, lunch and dinner at their traditional times.

“The consumer doesn’t think about things in the neat buckets that we as marketers like to think about them,” Portalatin said. “We like to say, ‘This occasion is lunch and these are lunch foods.’ The consumer simply says, ‘I’m hungry. What time is it? Where am I?’”

That was certainly true for Force, who said she has fond memories of picking up a Snack Wrap after school as a teenager. She’s looking forward to making that part of her routine once more.

“Hopefully, they come back and they taste the same, and they don’t break my heart again, quite frankly,” she said.

Minnesota United has signed Carlos Harvey to a three-year contract extension through 2028, with a club option for 2029, the team said Tuesday.

Harvey has become a versatile piece in midfield and defense for MNUFC and is expected to receive a raise over the $81,028 in guaranteed compensation he received in 2024, according to MLS Players Assocaition. Player salaries for 2025 have not yet been shared.

A member of Panama’s national team, Harvey has evenly split time at center back and central midfield for the Loons this season, totaling one assist over 927 minutes in 16 MLS games.

Harvey, 25, was acquired last year for a transfer fee of approximately $200,000 to USL Championship side Phoenix Rising. He played 1,046 minutes across 18 matches for the Loons in 2024.

By COLLEEN BARRY

MILAN (AP) — Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, has again captivated the world with a spectacular show, spewing smoke and high into the sky.

But the defining event of Monday’s eruption was the more rare pyroclastic flow from the southwestern crater not visible from a distance.

The volcano is Europe’s most active, and the continent’s largest. Etna attracts hikers and backpackers to its slopes while less adventurous tourists can take it in from a distance, most stunningly from the Ionian Sea.

Etna’s latest eruption caused neither injuries nor evacuations, but sent a group of tourists on its flanks running, as captured by video posted on social media with smoke towering in the background.

Authorities emphasized there was no danger to the population, and the pyroclastic flow — a fast-moving mixture of rock fragments, gas and ash — was limited to about 2 kilometers (more than a mile) and didn’t go beyond the Valle del Leone, or Lion Valley, which forms a natural containment area.

Etna has been active recently, and this was the 14th episode since mid-March. The most recent pyroclastic flows with significant reach were recorded on Feb. 10, 2022, Oct. 23, 2021, Dec. 13, 2020 and Feb. 11, 2014, Marco Viccaro, president of Italy’s national volcanology association, said Tuesday.

What’s happening now?

After a 19-day lull, Etna began to erupt with lively explosive bursts of gas and ash followed by a mild lava flow on the eastern slope followed by a smaller flow to the south.

At around 10 a.m. on Monday, Etna exploded with its first major, violent eruption of the year: lava fountains and a column of ash and gas rose several kilometers, or miles, in the air. The event climaxed around 11:23 a.m. when the pyroclastic flow, triggered when magma mixed with snow, traveled 2 kilometers (more than a mile) to the Valle del Leone within a minute.

By late afternoon, scientists said the event had subsided.

Imposing figure

Etna towers around 3,350 meters (around 11,050 feet) above sea level and is 35 kilometers (22 miles) in diameter, although the volcanic activity has changed the mountain’s height over time.

Occasionally, the airport at Catania, eastern Sicily’s largest city, has to close down for hours or days, when ash in the air makes flying in the area dangerous. An aviation warning was put in place during the latest event, but the airport wasn’t closed.

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With Etna’s lava flows largely contained to its uninhabited slopes, life goes in towns and villages elsewhere on the mountain. Among the benefits of the volcano: fertile farmland and tourism.

Deadly past

Inspiring ancient Greek legends, Etna has had scores of known eruptions in its history. An eruption in 396 B.C., has been credited with keeping the army of Carthage at bay.

In 1669, in what has been considered the volcano’s worst known eruption, lava buried a swath of Catania, about 23 kilometers (15 miles) away and devastated dozens of villages. An eruption in 1928 cut off a rail route circling the mountain’s base.