The legal controversy around frontrunner Lee Jae-myung explained
Lee Jae-myung is widely expected to win South Korea’s presidential election.
But he is facing charges — for a second time — of violating election laws in his 2022 presidential campaign.
Prosecutors appealed to retry Lee after the constitutional court overturned his original conviction.
But the high court in Many then postponed Lee’s trial until June 18, which is two weeks after the election.
If his original conviction had been upheld, Lee wouldn’t have been eligible to run for president.
The case is just one of five that Lee is currently fighting.
Impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol casts vote
Impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee have voted at a school near their private residence in the capital, Seoul
They were accompanied by security guards, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Neither made any comment to the waiting media, with Yoon turning to smile at the press as they peppered him with questions.
It was the first time that Yoon’s wife had been seen in public for more than 50 days.
Yoon was formally stripped of his office in April after being impeached and suspended for imposing martial law in December.
He attended his fifth court hearing last week over charges of leading an insurrection and abuse of power for declaring martial law on December 3, 2024.
South Korea’s foreign policy battles await new president
The winner of South Korea’s presidential election will immediately face foreign policy challenges dealing with the United States and China.
The Asian country is already under pressure on trade and security issues from the Trump administration, even though the United States is its most important ally against North Korea.
At the same time, South Korea has to walk a fine line with China, South Korea’s top trading partner.
“The winner is going to face a lot of big issues very quickly,” said Chinese foreign policy expert Choo Jae-woo, from Seoul’s Kyung Hee University.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/south-korea-polls-open-in-snap-presidential-election/live-72767996
