Following the removal of Yoon Suk Yeol as South Korea’s 13th president on 4 April 2025, the upcoming presidential election on 3 June marks the country’s ninth election since it transitioned to a democracy. The country’s political parties – of which the two main parties are the Democratic Party of Korea and People Power Party – commence their respective campaigns on 12 May at a time of heightened domestic political polarisation within and across party lines. Such polarisation has in no small part been exacerbated by Yoon’s infamous declaration of martial law on 3 December 2024.
Beyond the realm of domestic politics, the regional and global security environment in which South Korea is situated is also increasingly uncertain. A new South Korean administration will need to address a range of threats, including North Korea’s development of nuclear and missile capabilities, Pyongyang’s ongoing security cooperation with Moscow, as well as heightened political and economic aggression by Beijing. At the same time, the Trump administration’s recent imposition of sweeping tariffs, including on South Korea, raises questions pertaining to the durability of Washington’s alliances in East Asia and beyond.
As South Korea continues to face uncertain domestic and external political circumstances, our panel of experts discuss:
- Who are the main candidates in the upcoming election, and what are the polls revealing?
- What are the likely implications of the election outcome for South Korean domestic politics, amid the polarised political landscape within the country?
- At a time of regional and global geopolitical change, what will be the consequences of the election result for South Korea’s foreign policies towards North Korea, China, Japan, and the United States?
