The race to find a successor to impeached President Yoon Suk Yoon Suk Yeol has begun, with a highly polarizing contest likely between conservatives and democrats.

South Korea will hold snap elections on June 3 to plug the power vacuum created by the recent removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, the nation's acting leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, announced Tuesday.

The announcement comes days after South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon over his brief and chaotic imposition of martial law in December 2024.

South Korea's law states that an election must be held to replace an ousted president within 60 days.

The elections are key to restoring political stability to Asia's fourth-largest economy amid slowing growth and an emerging global trade war.
Han said that ministries are making "preparations to ensure an election that is fairer and more transparent than ever, and one that can earn the trust of the people."

Who is running for election?
The upcoming snap election is likely to create an intense race between Yoon's conservative People Power Party (PPP), and its liberal rival, the Democratic Party (DP).

Both parties are expected tolaunch primaries in the coming weeks to select their presidential candidate.

Lee Jae-myung, the populist leader of the liberals, lost to Yoon in 2022 by a slim margin and is now a front runner. However he faces legal challenges including several trials over corruption and violating election law. The DP also already controls the National Assembly.

For the conservatives, Yoon's labor minister Kim Moon-soo resigned from his position on Tuesday and announced his intention to launch a campaign.

"I tendered my resignation and decided to run because the people want it, people I know want it, and I feel a sense of responsibility to solve national difficulties," Kim told reporters.

Ahn Cheol-soo, a PPP lawmaker, also declared his intention to run the race, claiming he was a "cleaner candidate than anyone else." He vowed to secure South Korea's economic growth and counter US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs.

Ahn, who has campaigned in the last three presidential elections, won over 21% of popular votes in 2017.

A poll conducted by American research company Gallup, published Friday, showed that 34% of those surveyed favored Lee, 9% backed Kim and 5% chose former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon.

Several other candidates are likely to join the race as the conservatives try to overcome the political crisis.