South Korea’s liberal leader Lee wins party nomination to run for president

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party's former leader Lee Jae-myung celebrates after winning the nomination as the June 3 presidential election candidate during a party's convention in Goyang, South Korea, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

SEOUL, South Korea — Lee Jae-myung, a liberal who wants greater economic parity in South Korea and warmer ties with North Korea, became the main opposition party’s presidential candidate Sunday, solidifying his position as front-runner to succeed recently ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The former Democratic Party chief had led the opposition-controlled parliament’s impeachment of Yoon over the imposition of martial law in December. The country’s Constitutional Court formally dismissed Yoon earlier this month, prompting a snap presidential election on June 3 to find a new president.

In a nationally televised announcement, the Democratic Party announced Lee won its presidential nomination with nearly 90% of the votes cast during the primary that ended Sunday, defeating two competitors.

“Now, the people and our party colleagues gave me an opportunity to win back the presidency and build a new, real Republic of Korea. Thank you! I’ll humbly uphold that ardent, serious task,” Lee said in a victory speech.

Lee, 60, who served as the governor of South Korea’s most populous Gyeonggi province and a mayor of Seongnam city, is the clear favorite to win the election.

In a Gallup Korea poll released Friday, 38% of respondents chose Lee as their preferred choice, while all other aspirants obtained single-digit ratings. The main conservative People Power Party is to nominate its candidate next weekend. Its four presidential hopefuls competing to win the party ticket won a combined 23% of support ratings in the Gallup survey.

It will be Lee’s third bid to run for president. He lost the 2022 election to Yoon in the narrowest margin in the country’s presidential elections. In 2017, Lee ranked third in a Democratic Party primary.

An anti-corruption crusader or a populist?

Lee has long established an image as an anti-establishment figure who can eliminate deep-rooted inequality and corruption in South Korea. But his critics view him as a populist who relies on stoking divisions and demonizing opponents and worry his rule would likely further polarize the country.

Lee currently faces five trials for corruption and other criminal charges. If he becomes president, those trials will likely stop as he will enjoy special presidential immunity from most criminal charges.

Lee’s rise comes as conservatives are struggling to win back public confidence in the wake of Yoon’s martial law decree that plunged the country into turmoil. The People Power Party is grappling with internal feuding between senior members defending Yoon’s action and reformist members who voted for his impeachment.

“This election is a venue where the people hand down their judgment on Yoon’s martial law imposition after the Constitutional Court issued a judicial judgment on it,” said Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership. “It’s subsequently difficult for the People Power Party to win the election if they slide over the martial law issue and fail to apologize.”

When Yoon declared martial law and sent troops to the National Assembly, Lee livestreamed as he went to the assembly and urged people to gather there to stop protect lawmakers from possible arrest. Lee and others managed to enter an assembly hall to vote down Yoon’s decree, forcing him to lift it six hours after it was declared, without major violence.

Focus on the economy

Lee has recently made few comments that could be portrayed as too radical and has focused on ways to revive the economy, ease economic polarization and overcome a national divide.

“Restoring democracy is the path to national unity. Reviving economic growth is the path to national unity. Narrowing the gaps between us is the path to national unity,” Lee said during Sunday’s speech.

On foreign policy, Lee has underscored the importance of a trilateral South Korea-U.S.-Japan security partnership. But he’s also called for healing badly frayed ties with North Korea, saying peace can drive South Korea’s economic growth.

In a recent online talks show, Lee said he thinks the U.S. would pursue better ties with North Korea as a way to contain China and that such a stance would provide South Korea with diplomatic room to restore ties with the North.

Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press