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Lee Jae-myung leads in hypothetical three-way race with Han Duck-soo, but race tightens, new poll shows
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of South Korea’s main liberal Democratic Party, holds a lead in a potential three-way race for the country’s next election, but support for the conservative bloc shows signs of resurgence, shows a new poll released Monday. The poll, conducted by Realmeter from April 30 to May 2, found Lee leading with 46.5 percent support in a hypothetical matchup against former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is running as an independent, and Lee Jun-seok of the centri
May 5, 2025 -
PPP presidential candidate pays respects to late presidents
People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo visited a national cemetery Sunday and paid his respects to former presidents, a day after he won the party's presidential nomination for the June 3 vote. Kim, who served as labor minister under ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, paid tribute at the Seoul National Cemetery, as he is expected to face an uphill battle against Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung. Speaking to reporters at the cemetery, he criticized the DP's push to impeach Su
May 4, 2025 -
Security tightened for presidential candidate Lee amid alleged threats
Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has been placed under heightened security following reports of plots to attack him, his campaign said Saturday. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party is "going to have difficulty having direct contact with people from now on due to continued reports of plots to attack the candidate," the campaign said via YouTube and Facebook. During a campaign stop in the eastern coastal city of Sokcho the same day, Lee asked the locals for their understanding, saying he will
May 3, 2025 -
Ex-labor minister wins PPP primary, grabs presidential nomination
Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo clinched the ruling People Power Party’s presidential nomination for the June 3 presidential election on Saturday. Kim clinched the nomination with 56.5 percent of a cumulative 402,481 votes nationwide against his opponent, former People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon. Han received 43.5 percent of the total votes. The results were announced during the People Power Party convention held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province in the afternoon. Votes from the par
May 3, 2025 -
PPP set to select presidential candidate for June election
The People Power Party is set to select its final candidate for the June presidential election at a party convention Saturday, with the nominee facing Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo and former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon are vying for the nomination for the June 3 vote, which determines the successor to impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid. The PPP will determine its candidate based on a combination of an e
May 3, 2025 -
Ex-PM Han blocked from entering Gwangju cemetery amid protests
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited a national cemetery honoring victims of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising Friday as the first stop of his election campaign for the June election but was met with protests. Han traveled to the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, 357 kilometers south of Seoul, hours after formally announcing his bid for the June 3 election. Upon arrival, he was confronted by demonstrators expressing opposition to his presence. On Thursday, Han resigned from his roles as a
May 2, 2025 -
DP pushes bill halting criminal trials for president-elect
The Democratic Party proposed a bill Friday that suspends an ongoing criminal trial for a president-elect, a day after the Supreme Court overturned a not-guilty verdict of DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung over election law violation. The move came after the top court struck down a lower court's acquittal of Lee on charges of election law violation, sending the case back to the appeals court and raising questions over Lee's candidacy in the June 3 presidential election. The DP unilaterally
May 2, 2025 -
Appeals court to hold 1st hearing of DP presidential candidate's retrial on May 15
An appellate court will hold the first hearing of a retrial in an election law violation case involving Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on May 15, just weeks before the June election. The Seoul High Court set the date just one day after the Supreme Court struck down the lower court's acquittal of Lee on charges of election law violation in March and remanded the case for a retrial. The Supreme Court ruled that Lee should be retried on allegations of making false statements
May 2, 2025 -
Seoul reels from unprecedented leadership vacuum with top 3 posts empty
With just one month left before South Korea’s early presidential election amid critical US tariff talks that have been racing forward, Seoul has been rocked by an unprecedented leadership vacuum: the president, prime minister and top economic chief are all absent due to impeachment or resignation. Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, fourth in the Cabinet hierarchy, assumed the role of acting president on Friday, marking the fourth leadership change in six m
May 2, 2025 -
Will Cabinet work with just 14 members?
After the resignation of Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok late Thursday, the number of incumbent Cabinet members dropped to 14, raising concerns of the Cabinet being paralyzed. Earlier in the day on Thursday, acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo had already announced his resignation to launch his own presidential bid. His immediate successor, Choi, stepped down hours later as he faced possible impeachment by the National Assembly, ultimately handing the burden
May 2, 2025 -
Who in conservative bloc will embrace Han Duck-soo candidacy?
The entry of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in South Korea’s June 3 presidential race is emerging as a pivotal development for the conservative bloc, potentially redrawing the People Power Party’s strategy in its bid to defeat liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung. Han, who declared his candidacy Friday, is widely viewed as a credible conservative figure and a potential unifying alternative. But his late entrance has complicated the ongoing primary for the biggest conservative party, which has
May 2, 2025 -
New acting president vows fair election, firm security from Day 1
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, the deputy prime minister who is now acting prime minister and acting president, on Friday pledged to ensure a fair presidential election and maintain firm national security, as South Korea grapples with yet another transfer of leadership just a month before a snap presidential vote. Lee presided over the extraordinary Cabinet meeting on his first day as acting president at the government complex in Seoul, taking the helm of South Korea’s unprecedented interim gover
May 2, 2025 -
Democratic Party of Korea proposes bill to suspend trials for president-elects
South Korea’s major liberal Democratic Party of Korea has proposed a bill to suspend criminal trials for president-elects on Friday, the day after the Supreme Court sent a key case involving its leading presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung back to a lower court for a retrial in an unprecedentedly fast-tracked majority decision. Democratic Party lawmakers, including Rep. Kim Yong-min, introduced a proposed amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act that would halt legal proceedings once a defendant
May 2, 2025 -
Han Duck-soo declares presidential bid pledging constitutional reform, early resignation
Now-former Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo on Friday officially declared his bid for president, pledging to amend the Constitution, saying that such efforts have lost momentum into the past because all other politicians were only focused on taking power, unlike him, who is a career civil servant. Han's official announcement, made the morning after his resignation from his post, included a pledge to step down in the third year of his presidency — if elected — should he succeed in
May 2, 2025 -
Why is South Korean politics so chaotic now? Here's what you need to know
South Korea is now navigating one of its most politically volatile periods in recent history. On Thursday, acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo — who had been standing in for impeached and removed former President Yoon Suk Yeol — resigned to launch his own presidential bid. Just hours later, his immediate successor, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, also stepped down amid a parliamentary push to impeach him. The presidency is now in the hands of the next in li
May 2, 2025