South Korea: A simple guide to the 2025 presidential election

BBC News

6 days ago

South Korea will elect a new president on 3 June to replace Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office for placing the country under martial law for six hours in December.The winner will be tasked with managing the political and economic fallout of Yoon's move, which plunged the country in deep turmoil and highlighted deep divisions in society.The election is also being held against the backdrop of long-running challenges such as the threat from North Korea and addressing the world's lowest birth rate.Here is how the East Asian nation of about 52 million people will choose its new leader for the next five years.
Why is South Korea holding a presidential election?
Yoon was supposed to serve as president until 2027, but his term ended in disgrace.He shocked the nation by declaring martial law on 3 December, citing threats from "anti-state forces" and North Korea - but it soon became clear that he was spurred by his own political troubles.A week later, he was impeached by parliament. On 4 April, a constitutional court upheld his impeachment and removed him from office permanently, setting the stage for a snap presidential election within 60 days, as required by law.In the five turbulent months since Yoon's martial law, the country has had three acting presidents, the most recent being Lee Ju-ho, the labour minister who assumed the role one month before the election.Lee replaced Prime Minister Han Duck Soo, who himself was impeached just weeks after taking over from Yoon in an acting capacity. Finance minister Choi Sang-mok was acting president before Han was reinstated in March.
What are the big issues in South Korea's election?
Yoon's martial law laid bare the deep political division between supporters of Yoon and his conservative People Power Party (PPP), and those backing opposition leader Lee Jae-myung and the liberal Democratic Party.It also shook public confidence in the economy at a critical time, when US President Donald Trump has unleashed his tariffs on America's trading partners, with South Korean goods facing a 25% levy.The new president will then have the immediate task of addressing these concerns.But there are persistent challenges, such as relations with North Korea. While the start of 2025 been relatively uneventful, the year before had seen heightened tensions as both sides sent balloons and drones carrying propaganda materials across the border.On a broader scale, the new leader must balance Seoul's relations between its biggest trading partner, Beijing and its most important security ally, Washington.There is also the task of arresting the country's declining birth rate, which is among the lowest in the world.In 2024, the country's fertility rate, or the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, was at 0.75. While it ticked up slightly from the previous year, it remains far below the 2.1 needed to maintain the country's population of 51 million.
Who could the next South Korean president be?
Polls have placed Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party as the frontrunner among six candidates, followed by Kim Moon-soo, the candidate for the conservative PPP.Lee, who lost to Yoon by a razor-thin margin in 2022, is hailed by his supporters as a working class hero. He worked in a factory before he became a human rights lawyer and politician. He has promised to establish a "Real Republic of Korea" with jobs and a fair society.Kim, a former labour minister, has positioned himself as a president for the economy, promising the creation of a business-friendly environment and job creation.The other candidates are Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party, Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party and two independents - Hwang Kyo-ahn and Song Jin- ho.For the first time in 18 years, there is no woman running for president. The first woman to run for president of the country was Hong Suk-Ja in 1987, but she withdrew before the vote. The election in 2012 saw four female candidates stand.
When is election day and when are results announced?
The election is scheduled on 3 June and voting precincts will be open from 06:00 local time (22:00 GMT) to 20:00. South Koreans overseas were allowed to vote early from 20 to 25 May.Results are expected to come in after polls close and the winner will likely be known early the next day.When Yoon defeated Lee in 2022, he was proclaimed the winner nine hours after the close of voting, or at 04:40 the morning after election day.That was closest presidential contest in the country's history, which saw Yoon win by a 0.73% difference in votes.The new president will take office immediately and unlike many of his predecessors, will not have the advantage of a formal transition from Yoon.
What will happen to impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol?
Yoon faces trial for an insurrection charge that stemmed from his martial law declaration. In January this year he became South Korea's first sitting president to be arrested after investigators scaled barricades and cut through barbed wire to take him into custody. He was relased from detention weeks later on a technicality.He was recently indicted separately for abuse of power.Before the election, Yoon quit his party in what analysts say is an attempt to shore up the chances of PPP standard bearer Kim Moon-soo.