South Korea Announces June 3 as Election Date to Replace Yoon | Elections News

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announces date of vote to choose a successor to impeached ex-leader Yoon Suk-yeol.

South Korea will hold a snap election on June 3 to replace Yoon Suk-yeol, following the former president’s removal from office over his short-lived declaration of martial law, the country’s acting president has announced.

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated on Tuesday that the government had chosen the date to ensure “smooth election operations and allow sufficient time for political parties to prepare.”

Han added that the government consulted with the National Election Commission and “other related agencies” before finalizing the decision.

On Friday, South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the legislature’s decision to impeach Yoon, who was elected to a five-year term in 2022. The court ruled that the conservative leader had exceeded his presidential authority by briefly declaring martial law late last year.

Under South Korean law, a presidential election must be held within 60 days of a leader’s removal from office.

Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3 plunged the country’s young democracy into turmoil. He claimed the move was necessary to counteract political opposition’s obstructionism and “anti-state” forces.

Scenes of soldiers confronting lawmakers and aides at the National Assembly stirred painful memories of past military dictatorships that preceded South Korea’s transition to democracy in 1987.

Yoon lifted martial law within hours of his declaration after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree.

Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party is widely considered the frontrunner in the upcoming election, despite facing multiple trials on corruption and other charges.

Han will continue to lead the country until the election, which comes after months of political turmoil and at a precarious time for South Korea’s export-dependent economy.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on South Korean imports as part of his “liberation day” trade measures targeting nearly all U.S. trading partners.

While Trump exempted certain sectors, such as semiconductors—a major export of South Korean tech giant Samsung—the country’s auto industry has been hit with a separate 25 percent tariff.

Vehicles are South Korea’s top-selling product in the U.S., accounting for 27 percent of U.S.-bound exports in 2024, amid a record trade deficit of $127.8 billion.

South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo departed for Washington on Tuesday to seek exemptions from Trump’s tariffs through negotiations.