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Candidates announce bids for June 3 snap presidential election

Published: 08 Apr. 2025, 18:43

Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon speaks to the press in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on April 4. [YONHAP]

Following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, politicians across the political spectrum have begun declaring their candidacies for the snap presidential election scheduled for June 3.

Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon is scheduled to announce his presidential bid at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday morning. According to his office, the announcement will take place at 9 a.m. in the departure hall of Terminal 2, alongside a briefing on his departure for the United States.

Gov. Kim’s team stated that his trip to the United States was in response to impending auto parts tariffs. He will visit Michigan — the headquarters of the U.S. "Big Three" automakers: GM, Ford Motor and Stellantis — for four days of “tariff diplomacy.”

“It is time for economics," Kim said in a Facebook post Tuesday morning. He is a former finance minister and widely seen as an economic expert.

Former lawmaker Kim Du-kwan of the liberal Democratic Party (DP) declared his presidential bid on Monday, advocating constitutional reform and a unified progressive front through an open primary.

“With the ouster of Yoon Suk-yeol, the harsh winter of internal strife is over," Kim Du-kwan said at a press conference at the DP headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul. "I am running as the ‘constitutional reform president’ who will usher in the Seventh Republic.”

Former liberal Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Kim Du-kwan speaks at a press conference in Gwangju on April 8. [YONHAP]

Kim Du-kwan pledged to shorten the presidential term by two years if necessary, claiming that major political and structural reforms are essential. He urged fellow progressives to unite through a full-scale open primary proposed by the newly founded splinter liberal Rebuilding Korea Party.

"Predetermined elections are symptoms of democratic backsliding," Kim Du-kwan said, criticizing the perception that the nomination is a foregone conclusion for DP leader Lee Jae-myung. "The idea that 'Lee is destined to win' will not secure victory in the general election.”

In the conservative camp, several figures are also entering the race.

Former conservative People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon speaks with the press in Daejeon on March 25. [NEWS1]

Former conservative People Power Party (PPP) Leader Han Dong-hoon will officially declare his candidacy on Thursday.

Han's office said Tuesday that Han will announce his bid at 2 p.m. on the steps of the National Assembly in Yeouido.

Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo announced Tuesday that he is stepping down to run in the snap presidential election. Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting, Kim said, “There is a national need and a sense of responsibility that led me to this decision.”

Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo speaks at the Sejong Government Complex in Sejong on April. 8. [NEWS1]

Later that day, during a farewell ceremony at the Ministry of Employment and Labor in Sejong, Kim Moon-soo officially declared his candidacy. “Now is the time to rebuild a great Republic of Korea,” he said.

Kim Moon-soo emphasized ongoing challenges such as protecting vulnerable workers and youth employment, acknowledging the weight of leaving office with unfinished work.

“I never supported martial law, and it is now being adjudicated in court," the former labor minister said when reporters asked about Yoon’s impeachment. "Yoon was removed from office due to the declaration of martial law, and that ruling must be respected.”

Currently unaffiliated with any political party, Kim must join the PPP to run in its presidential primary. He remains the front-runner among conservative candidates in recent polls.

Other conservatives, including former Saenuri Party — predecessor to the PPP — Leader Lee Jung-hyun, lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, have also expressed intentions to run.

The presidential election will be held on June 3 following the Constitutional Court’s decision on Friday to oust Yoon from office.

With the date now set, candidate registration will take place on May 10 and 11. The official campaign period will run from May 12 to June 2. Public officials intending to run must resign by May 4, 30 days before the vote.

BY LEE HAY-JUNE, CHO MUN-GYU, JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]