Leading Contender: Lee Jae-myung
Lee Jae-myung, at the age of 60, has emerged as the clear frontrunner in recent opinion surveys.
With a background as a former mayor and governor, Lee most recently served as a lawmaker after narrowly losing to impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 election.
Lee is currently facing ongoing legal cases and investigations for corruption. The Seoul High Court recently postponed a retrial on election law charges against him until after the June 3 vote.
In his final campaign speeches on Monday, Lee committed to revitalizing the economy, reducing inequality, and easing national divisions intensified by Yoon’s impeachment.
He argued that a victory for Kim would allow Yoon’s “rebellion forces” to return, resulting in “the destruction of democracy, the deprivation of people’s human rights, the normalization of martial law, and our country’s downfall into a backward, third-world nation,” as stated by Lee.
Conservative Candidate Kim Moon Soo
Kim Moon Soo, from the conservative People Power Party of impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, is Lee’s main opponent.
Having served as a governor and a three-term member of the National Assembly, Kim previously distanced himself from ousted president Yoon on the campaign trail.
However, Kim served as labor minister under Yoon in 2024 and was perceived as part of the discredited leader’s inner circle.
Kim warned on the campaign trail that a win for Lee would grant him excessive power and allow him to enact political retaliation and self-protective laws.
Lee’s Democratic Party already holds a parliamentary majority, with Kim claiming that Lee aims to establish a “Hitler-like dictatorship” if elected.
Trailing in polls by some 10 percentage points behind Lee, Kim was unable to secure a merged candidacy with the third-place contender, potentially hindering the competitiveness of the election.
