S Korea’s main opposition party taps former chief as presidential candidate

Lee Jae-myung has been chosen as South Korea’s opposition candidate for the upcoming presidential election scheduled for June 3.

In his acceptance speech after receiving the nomination on Sunday, Lee said, “I am not only the candidate of the Democratic Party, but of all people who yearn for the end of insurrection, the overcoming of crisis, and the pursuit of unity and happiness.”

In the primary, Lee outnumbers two other candidates to become his party’s nominee with nearly 90 percent of the vote.

Lee, a progressive leader who pushed for greater economic equality and improved relations with North Korea, is now the front-runner to succeed Yoon Suk-yeol, who was ousted in the wake of an attempted martial law repeal late last year.

The former main opposition party leader, who is now 60, was the main opposition party’s leader, during the December martial law order’s impeachment hearing.

Lee compared Yoon’s martial law attempt to previous authoritarian regimes in a separate speech and pledged to help resolve the nation’s political and economic turbulence.

Yoon’s removal was the result of the Constitutional Court’s decision earlier this month, prompting the demand for a new presidential election.

Investigations into corruption are afoot.

Lee has held a double-digit lead over candidates from the conservative People Power Party, which will announce its candidate on May 3. He has led in polls for several weeks.

Lee’s third attempt to win the presidency is this time. In South Korea’s democratic history, he was essentially the closest to losing to Yoon in 2022. In the Democratic Party’s primary in 2017, he placed third.

Lee pledged to strengthen South Korea’s defense capabilities and establish it as a leader in high-tech fields, cultural powerhouse, and example of democracy.

Lee has a reputation as a pro-corruption and inequality advocate thanks to his anti-establishment stance. Seongnam city’s mayor and Gyeonggi, South Korea’s most populous province, were both in his shoes.

He is currently facing five trials on charges of corruption and other criminal offenses, including those involving allegations of bribery and a $1 billion property development scandal. Due to presidential immunity, these trials are likely to be halted if he wins the presidency.

After Yoon’s martial law decree caused the country to become agitated, Lee’s rise coincides with the People’s Power Party’s struggle to regain public support. He gained notoriety for his role in enforcing the decree, climbing over the walls of the National Assembly and eventually assisting in a vote that overturned it.