Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s prosecutor and now president, wants a world that follows the rules

SEOUL—Behind the desk of Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s 61-year-old president-elect, a pair of red boxing gloves sits prominently on a shelf. They belonged to one of the country’s most famous professional fighters, who became world champion in 1977 – despite being knocked down four times in the title fight. Decades later, the boxer presented the gloves to Mr. Yoon at a campaign event.

“He got back up and was able to win,” Mr. Yoon said in an interview. “It has a symbolism: you don’t give up. You fight to the end.”