Acting President Han Duck-soo leads a Cabinet meeting in Seoul on April 8, 2025. (Hong Hae-in/Yonhap via AP)
Seoul: South Korea will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 to replace recently ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, the country’s acting leader Han Duck-soo announced on Tuesday.
The announcement came just four days after the Constitutional Court removed Yoon from office over his controversial imposition of martial law in December. According to South Korean law, a new president must be elected within 60 days of a presidential ouster. The incoming leader will serve a full five-year term.
The upcoming election is expected to be shaped by deep political polarization, likely setting up a direct contest between the ruling conservative People Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party, which currently holds a majority in the National Assembly.
The People Power Party faces an uphill battle. Yoon’s decision to declare martial law and deploy armed troops in the streets of Seoul has severely damaged public trust and created deep divisions within the conservative bloc. The party is now struggling to recover and rally around a strong candidate in time for the vote.
Attention is focused on whether the conservatives can regroup effectively to challenge Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, who is widely viewed as the frontrunner. Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon, is expected to secure his party’s nomination unopposed. He led the party through a tense political crisis, including a confrontation with troops deployed by Yoon to suppress opposition lawmakers who ultimately voted to impeach the president.
Political parties are now preparing to hold primaries in the coming weeks. While Lee’s position within the Democratic Party remains strong, the People Power Party is expected to see about ten candidates vying for the nomination. These include figures with differing stances on Yoon’s ouster, further complicating the party’s efforts to unite.
Among the notable conservative contenders are Labor Minister Kim Moon Soo and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, both seen as loyal to Yoon and opposed to his impeachment. In contrast, former party leader Han Dong-hoon and senior lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo supported Yoon’s removal. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, another potential candidate, has remained noncommittal on the issue.
Yoon’s supporters, many of whom have staged mass rallies, continue to claim he was the victim of a politically motivated effort by a left-leaning opposition allegedly sympathetic to North Korea. Despite being removed from office, Yoon may still try to influence the conservative nomination process to promote candidates loyal to him as he prepares to face a criminal trial. Charged with rebellion in January, he may also face additional accusations such as abuse of power, now that he has lost the presidential immunity that previously shielded him.
Analysts believe the People Power Party’s chances hinge on its ability to select a candidate who can appeal beyond its base. “They will need to nominate someone who can win over the public, particularly moderates,” said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. “Young voters in their 20s and 30s are likely to be the key swing demographic.”
Lee Jae-myung, meanwhile, is a polarizing figure. While his supporters view him as a populist reformer, critics accuse him of deepening political divisions and manipulating public sentiment. He is currently facing five ongoing trials on charges ranging from corruption to other criminal allegations. If elected, Lee would receive presidential immunity, which would effectively suspend these proceedings.
Yoon has consistently accused Lee and the Democratic Party of exploiting their legislative majority to derail his agenda, undermine key officials, and drastically cut the government’s budget. He defended his martial law declaration as a last-ditch effort to rally public support against what he described as the “wickedness” of Lee’s political machine.
“Lee has many detractors who believe he nearly brought down the government to protect himself, portraying his legal troubles as political persecution,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “But his political maneuvering, including the purge of internal dissenters, has effectively secured his control over the Democratic Party and given him a clear path to the presidency.”
As the June 3 election nears, South Korea’s political future remains uncertain, with both major parties facing internal challenges and a deeply divided electorate.
With PTI inputs
