Korean presidential election: Here's who might take on Lee Jae-myung on June 3

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Korean presidential election: Here's who might take on Lee Jae-myung on June 3

Published: 16 Apr. 2025, 16:07 Updated: 16 Apr. 2025, 18:55

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

From left: former DP chief Lee Jae-myung, former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo and Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon pose for a photo during a pledge ceremony for fair elections at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 16. [NEWS1]

With just 48 days remaining until Korea’s early presidential election, the two major parties — the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and the liberal Democratic Party (DP) — have finalized their candidate lineups and are set to begin their respective primary races.

Apart from former DP leader Lee Jae-myung, widely viewed as the party's front-runner, two additional candidates, Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo, have registered to compete in the DP primary, according to the party on Wednesday. The PPP has drawn a significantly larger field of 11 contenders, highlighting the DP’s strong support for Lee’s candidacy.

Lee leads in one-on-one matchups against all PPP candidates, with more than 54 percent support, according to a Realmeter survey poll released Monday that was conducted April 9 to Friday. He was favored by 54.3 percent of respondents over former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, a PPP candidate, compared to Kim's 26.3 percent.

The DP will hold four rounds of regional primaries and plans to finalize its nominee by May 1 the latest.

On Wednesday, the PPP announced eight of the 11 candidates who had thrown their hats into the ring for the preliminary race. Among them are ex-Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, in addition to Kim Moon-soo. Prominent figures such as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min have chosen not to run. Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, whom multiple PPP lawmakers urged to join the race, has not signed up for the primary.

With its candidate list finalized, the PPP will host two days of debates this weekend, followed by public opinion surveys on Monday and Tuesday. The party will narrow the field to four finalists by Tuesday night, select two candidates on April 29 and announce its final nominee on May, ahead of the June 3 presidential election.

Given the unexpectedly crowded field, the Korea JoongAng Daily has compiled a breakdown of the key candidates, their backgrounds, political achievements and major pledges.

Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo arrives at the City Hall in central Seoul on April 16. [KIM JONG-HO]

Kim Moon-soo

Kim, a former labor minister who stepped down on April 8 to join the race, is a conservative politician with roots in the labor movement. Born in 1951 in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang, he was the sixth of seven children. He gained recognition in the 1970s and 1980s as a student and labor activist and was twice expelled from Seoul National University for his activism. In 1986, he was arrested for leading the May 3 Incheon Democratic Uprising.

Kim entered politics in 1990 by founding the Minjung Party during the Roh Tae-woo administration. He stated in his campaign announcement, as he has in multiple books and interviews, that he shifted toward conservatism following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

While declaring his candidacy last week, Kim said that although he once believed capitalism would fail, he came to see the market economy as a driver of Korea’s industrialization and democratization, prompting him to abandon his revolutionary views.

He previously served as a three-term lawmaker and two-term governor of Gyeonggi. This is his third presidential bid, having run in the 2012 Saenuri Party primary against former President Park Geun-hye and in the 2017 Liberty Korea Party primary against Hong Joon-pyo. His key pledges include pension reform that reflects the voices of younger generations and the expansion of youth employment opportunities.

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo speaks about his vision for the country at his election office in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 15. [YONHAP]

Hong Joon-pyo

Hong, 70, is a veteran politician and former prosecutor who previously ran in the 2017 presidential election against Moon Jae-in as the Liberty Korea Party candidate. Born in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang, he entered politics in 1996 after being elected to represent southern Seoul’s Songpa District.

Over his career, he has served five terms in the National Assembly and held posts as South Gyeongsang governor and Daegu mayor. Hong has advocated for sweeping constitutional reforms, including introducing a four-year presidential term and transitioning to a bicameral legislature. He has also proposed abolishing the Constitutional Court, which upheld ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.

Former PPP chief Han Dong-hoon speaks about his vision as a presidential candidate at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 15. [NEWS1]

Han Dong-hoon

Han, 52, is a former justice minister under the Yoon administration and the youngest Cabinet member in that government. Born and raised in Seoul, he graduated from Seoul National University’s college of law and passed the bar at 22. As a prosecutor, he led high-profile investigations, including probes into the family of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.

Han stepped down as justice minister in December 2023 to serve as the PPP’s interim leader. He led the party through a turbulent general election before resigning on April 11 of last year following the party’s crushing defeat. He was elected PPP leader on July 23 of the same year but resigned again after the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach Yoon.

In a policy presentation Tuesday, Han pledged to usher in a “middle-class era,” noting that past conservative governments had sidelined middle-income citizens. He proposed a 150 trillion won ($105 billion) investment in AI over five years and lower income taxes for wage earners.

PPP Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo speaks to reporters after meeting Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at the City Hall in central Seoul on April 16. [YONHAP]

Ahn Cheol-soo

Ahn, 63, is a four-term lawmaker, a doctor and tech entrepreneur who developed Korea’s first antivirus program. A graduate of Seoul National University’s medical school, he entered politics in 2012 with an independent presidential bid, later withdrawing and winning a legislative seat representing northern Seoul’s Nowon District in 2013.

Ahn ran again in the last presidential race but unified with Yoon Suk Yeol before the vote. He emphasizes the need for scientific and economic leadership, calling for investment in five strategic industries: AI, mobility, semiconductors, biohealth and defense technology.

PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won speaks to reporters after meeting Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at the City Hall in central Seoul on May 16. [JUN MIN-KYU]

Na Kyung-won

Na, 61, is a former judge and five-term lawmaker. She entered politics with Lee Hoi-chang’s 2002 presidential campaign and became a lawmaker in 2004. She previously ran for Seoul mayor in the 2011 by-election but lost to the late Mayor Park Won-soon.

Na proposes economic growth as her top priority, pledging to raise Korea’s per capita income to $40,000 by 2045 and to elevate Korea into the Group of 5. She also promises significant investment in AI and incentives to bring back skilled Koreans working abroad.

Candidates running in each party's primaries [YUN YOUNG]

Lee Jae-myung

Lee, 61, is a human rights lawyer turned politician. Born in Andong, North Gyeongsang, in 1963, he worked at a factory in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, after graduating elementary school to support his family. He later studied law at Chung-Ang University and passed the bar exam in 1986. Lee has said he decided to enter politics after leading a campaign to establish the Seongnam Citizens Medical Center. He served as Seongnam mayor from 2010 to 2018 and as Gyeonggi governor from 2018 until October 2021.

Democratic Party presidential contender Lee Jae-myung speaks at a party meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on April 16. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

In June 2022, Lee was elected to represent Incheon’s Gyeyang District B. In 2017, while serving as Seongnam mayor, he lost the DP’s presidential primary to former President Moon Jae-in. He then lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon by a razor-thin margin of 0.73 percentage points.

Currently, Lee is facing five criminal trials related to scandals during his time as Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor. As part of his upcoming presidential campaign, he has pledged to invest 100 trillion won in artificial intelligence.

DP presidential candidate and Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon speaks during a pledge ceremony for fair elections at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 16. [NEWS1]

Kim Dong-yeon

Gyeonggi Gov. Kim is a seasoned bureaucrat who served as finance minister during the Moon Jae-in administration. Born in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong, he began his career at a bank after high school, later passing the civil service exam in 1982.

He held various positions in the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. In 2012, he became deputy finance minister under former President Lee Myung-bak, and in 2013, he was appointed the first-ever Minister for Government Policy Coordination under Park Geun-hye, a role he left in 2014 following the death of his son.

Kim later served as president of Ajou University before being appointed finance minister under Moon.

In 2021, Kim declared his candidacy for the presidential election but withdrew a week before the election to support Lee Jae-myung. Later that year, he was elected as the governor of Gyeonggi.

Kim has emphasized the importance of reforming the current military system, proposing a gradual transition to a volunteer military by 2035 and strengthening the defense system through the adoption of AI. He also pledged to move the presidential office and the National Assembly to Sejong, aiming to establish the city as the functional capital for the executive branch. Additionally, he called for constitutional reform to reduce the presidential term.

DP presidential candidate and former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo speaks during a pledge ceremony for fair elections at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 16. [NEWS1]

Kim Kyoung-soo

Former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo began his political career as an aide to lawmakers and later served as a presidential secretary to the late President Roh Moo-hyun. A former student activist during the 1980s, Kim was arrested three times while attending Seoul National University for his involvement in pro-democracy movements.

In 2018, he was convicted in connection with the so-called Druking scandal, in which he was found to have colluded to manipulate online public opinion. He served as governor of South Gyeongsang from 2018 to 2021, before being handed a two-year prison term. In 2022, he was released following a special pardon granted by Yoon.

Kim has pledged to revitalize Korea’s economy by fostering a robust startup ecosystem, establishing regional investment banks in five major metropolitan areas and investing 100 trillion won over five years to develop a Korean-style foundational AI model.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]