Race for Korea's next president heats up following historic court ruling

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 4, following the Constitutional Court's verdict on upholding former President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. [NEWS1]

 
As Korea braces for an early presidential election following the Constitutional Court’s historic ruling to remove former President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, the question now arises: Who will be the next president?
 
Liberal Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung, who lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election by a razor-thin margin, is considered the front-runner for the party in the upcoming race.
 

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According to a public poll released by Gallup Korea on Friday, Lee had the highest approval rating among political figures at 34 percent, followed by Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo at 9 percent and former People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon at 5 percent.
 
Lee, a veteran politician who previously served as Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor, became the DP’s leader in August 2022 after his presidential defeat. Under his leadership, the party won a landslide victory in the April 2024 general election, leading to intensified conflicts between the DP-controlled National Assembly and the central government.
 
However, the top contender currently faces five criminal indictments related to development projects launched during his time in local governments. On March 26, an appellate court overturned a lower court’s suspended one-year prison sentence for allegedly violating the Public Official Election Act. Had the appeals court upheld the sentence, Lee would have faced a significant political hurdle, as individuals who are handed a prison sentence of any length are barred from running for office for 10 years.
 
With the early presidential election set to take place within 60 days, Lee is expected to step down as party leader to enter the primary race. 
 

Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo attends a plenary session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 3. [NEWS1]

 
While Lee stands as a strong contender for the DP, among the PPP’s potential contenders are Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, former party leader Han Dong-hoon, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo.
 
Kim, whose political career began in 1996 under the conservative New Korea Party led by former President Kim Young-sam, has held various positions in right-leaning political parties. Following his removal from office on Friday, Kim expressed regret on his Facebook account, saying it was “regrettable that a president elected by the people has once again been removed by the Constitutional Court.”
 
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has also hinted at a possible presidential bid. However, the biggest challenge for the four-term mayor would be winning the PPP primary, which determines its nominee through a combination of 50 percent party-member votes and 50 percent public polling. Around 40 percent of PPP members are concentrated in the Gyeongsang region.
 

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo speaks during a new year's event at Exco in Buk District on Jan. 10. [DAEGU METROPOLITAN CITY]

 
Another possible contender, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, a five-term lawmaker who ran in the 2017 presidential election, is reportedly planning to resign next week to enter the race. In the 2022 presidential election, he lost to Yoon during the PPP primary. Local government heads must step down at least 30 days before election day to be eligible to run.
 
Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who served as justice minister under the Yoon government before leading the party, is also seen as a potential candidate. Han resigned as party chief after Yoon’s parliamentary impeachment amid internal party conflicts over his call for the impeachment. Following the Constitutional Court’s ruling, Han wrote on his Facebook account, urging people to “overcome the agony and refrain from criticizing each other,” while calling for efforts to build a “better country.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]