South Korean Presidential Election Enters Final Stretch
The South Korean presidential election is heating up with one week to go before the June election, as Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung maintains a lead in polls, but People Power Party rival Kim Moon-soo is closing the gap. The campaign is being shaped by the fallout from former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law declaration in December, which led to his ouster. With the public release of new opinion polls prohibited after Wednesday, this week's surveys are the last indicators of voter sentiment before election day.
Key Takeaways:
- Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate, leads the polls with 46.6% support, according to a recent Realmeter survey.
- People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo has 37.6% support, with New Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok trailing at 10.4%.
- Kim Moon-soo won the People Power Party's ticket with staunch conservative support, despite initially refusing to apologize for Yoon's martial law declaration.
- Lee Jae-myung dismissed the potential conservative alliance as an attempt to unite "insurrection forces."
- All three candidates, including Lee Jun-seok, the youngest candidate at 40, will participate in the final televised debate, which is expected to feature intense clashes over politics, national security, and other contentious issues.
Statistics:
- 46.6%: Support for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate (Realmeter survey).
- 37.6%: Support for Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party candidate (Realmeter survey).
- 10.4%: Support for Lee Jun-seok, the New Reform Party candidate (Realmeter survey).
- 40: The age of Lee Jun-seok, the youngest candidate.
- 2 days: The duration of the early voting period, starting on Thursday.
- 3 candidates: The number of candidates participating in the final televised debate.
Sources:
- Yonhap News Agency (2025)
- Realmeter (2025)
- Yonhap News Agency (2025)