Lee Jae-myung: South Korea's Future Leader on the Horizon

Lee Jae-myung, the leading opposition figure in South Korea, announced his presidential bid following the impeachment of former leader Yoon Suk Yeol. Having narrowly lost in the 2022 elections, Lee has since gained broad support from liberal voters and is currently leading in opinion polls.

South Korean opposition figure Lee Jae-myung, currently leading opinion polls, announced his presidential candidacy on Thursday. This comes in the wake of the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol after a controversial martial law declaration in December.

At 61, Lee previously lost to Yoon in a closely contested 2022 election but led the Democratic Party to a significant parliamentary victory last year. His robust backing from liberal voters positions him strongly for the forthcoming June 3 presidential poll.

Having stepped down as opposition leader to concentrate on his campaign, Lee holds a firm leading position with 34% support in recent polls compared to the mere 9% for the leading conservative candidate, Kim Moon-soo. Meanwhile, the People Power Party seeks to finalize their candidate by May.

(With inputs from agencies.)