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Merin Treesa Alex
8 June 2025 |
The following note was first published as a part of The World This Week #314 Vol 7, No 23, 08 June 2025
South Korea’s Presidential Elections:
Instability to possible stability
Merin Treesa Alex
What happened?
On 3 June, Lee Jae Myung of the Democratic Party of Korea won the snap presidential elections with 49.3 per cent of the total votes. The Conservative party or the People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-Soo won 41.3 per cent of the votes. The voter turnout was around 79.4 per cent. Ahead of the main elections, south Korea held early elections from 29-30 May.
What is the background?
First, a brief note on South Korea’s presidential election. In 2022, Yoon Suk Yeol of the conservative People Power Party(PPP) defeated Lee Jae-Myung of the Democratic Party. The conservative party got 48.56 per cent votes, and Lee Jae-Myung got 47.83 per cent. South Korea’s president is elected directly for a single five-year term with no re-election eligibility, serves as head of state and government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and holds powers to declare war, appoint public officials, and enforce laws passed by the National Assembly.
Second, a brief note on the Presidential candidates. South Korea’s two major political parties are the progressive Democratic Party and the conservative People Power Party. Lee Jae-myung is a former human rights lawyer and governor of Gyeonggi Province. He opposed the martial law and called it “illegal” and “unconstitutional “He plans to increase research and development, and also AI investment, promote defence industries. He campaigned to reform the constitution to prevent future misuse of power, he proposed a four-year presidential term with two term presidencies. He also proposed equal economic policies for low- and middle-income families, balance ties with US and China and reduce tensions with North Korea through revised military agreements. Kim Moon-Soo was the labour minister during Yoon’s administration; he also served as the governor of Gyeonggi twice. He has an unclear stance on Yoon’s martial law. He proposed to boost business through deregulation, cut the taxes and also strengthen relations with US to restore the stability.
Third, a brief note on the previous president Yoon Suk Yeol. He declared emergency martial law on 3 December 2024, citing threats from anti-state forces and North Korea. The martial law was met with opposition from the National Assembly members; within six hours, the law was reversed with 190 members voting against it. The court on 4 April declared that the reason for declaring martial law did not meet the legal requirement, and Yoon Suk Yeolwas removed from office. This triggered the snap elections, which are mandated by law. This is not the first time a President in South Korea is facing impeachment, the last time it was in 2016, when Park Geun-hye was found guilty of abusing her power and was sentenced to 24 years in prison, but was pardoned by Yoon in 2021.
Fourth, the major electoral issues. The political polarization and division following Yoon’s martial law led to months of uncertainty and a lack of confidence among the public. US’s reciprocal tariffs of 25 per cent imposed on steel, aluminum and automobiles was also a concern for the voters. Further, the tensions with North Korea also intensified, with North Korea sending balloons filled with garbage to South Korea. In addition to that, decreasing birth rate was also one of the key issues.
What does it mean?
First, political stability would increase in South Korea, as the new president pledged to revise the presidential term to a two-term system with a midterm evaluation to keep the president’s role in check. He also aims to decentralize executive power and increase the power of the National Assembly, giving it the authority to nominate the prime minister.
Second, economic recovery is possible under this government with its pro-market policies and the investment in the AI sector and research and development, can lead to growth in economy and innovation, especially in the technology sector.
About the author
Merin Treesa Alex, is a postgraduate student in the department of International Studies at Stella Maris College, Chennai.
