With political instability, fierce fighting between rival clans, and economic problems in South Korea, there’s gonna be a special presidential election on Tuesday, the ninth since the country became a democracy.
According to polls, the main contender for the presidency is opposition leader Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party. About 52% of citizens are ready to vote for him. If successful, he promises to actively invest in artificial intelligence and make defence one of the key sectors of the economy. In addition, he advocates easing tensions with North Korea while maintaining the goal of denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
In second place, according to polls, is Kim Moon-soo, the candidate from the ruling conservative People Power Party. He could receive about 31% of the vote. Kim Moon-soo is critical of co-operation with North Korea and therefore advocates ensuring “sufficient means of retaliation,” such as ballistic missiles. He also plans to develop AI and expand nuclear energy production.
The Democratic Party is leading in the polls partly because the conservatives have discredited themselves over the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol. At the same time, experts believe that, according to the latest data, there is also a negative trend, which is presumably linked to Lee Jae-myung’s proposals to amend the country’s constitution.
The winner, who will be officially announced on Wednesday, will have only a few hours before taking office without the usual two-month transition period, as Yoon was removed from office by the Constitutional Court on April 4 for gross violation of his legal duties.
