The two leading candidates in South Korea’s presidential race concluded their nationwide campaigns in Seoul on Monday, the final day before the election. Both candidates focused their efforts on reviving the struggling economy and ending the political crises that followed the failed imposition of martial law in December.
The election, scheduled for Tuesday, was forced after President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office following his brief imposition of martial law in December.
This development came as a shock to the public, who believed that military intervention was no longer a threat to South Korean democracy. Lee Jae-myung, a leading candidate on the liberal front, emphasized national unity on his final campaign day, promising to heal the social polarization that deepened after Yoon’s martial law. He described his opponent, Kim Moon-soo, and his People’s Power Party as “rebel sympathizers.” “We are at a historic crossroads—either we will continue as a democratic republic or we will slide into dictatorship,” Lee told his supporters in Seoul. He stated that if elected, his first priority would be to support low- and middle-income families and small businesses struggling with rising living costs.Lee, who has been campaigning in critical swing states and strongholds of his conservative rival Kim, concluded his final day in the capital region, home to the largest portion of the country’s 44.39 million voters. At his closing rally, approximately 40,000 supporters gathered near the National Assembly, a landmark where six months ago Lee and 189 legislators voted to lift Yoon’s martial law after citizens and Assembly staff prevented soldiers from entering the building.
Conservative candidate Kim Moon-soo began his final day of campaigning north, starting on Jeju Island. Kim continued to attack his rival Lee, calling him a “dangerous man” and accusing him of abusing presidential powers and the Democratic Party-controlled legislature to establish a “Hitler-like” dictatorship. At his final rally near Seoul City Hall, Kim apologized for Yoon’s declaration of martial law, once again calling it wrong, and promised to implement political reforms if elected. “Martial law was wrong, and many other mistakes were made. I guarantee that Korean politics will be different from now on,” he said. With the official campaign ending at midnight Seoul time, voters will go to the polls on Tuesday at 6 AM (9 PM Monday GMT). The winner will be officially announced on Wednesday and will take office immediately, skipping the usual two-month transition period. Yoon was removed from office by the Supreme Court on April 4 on charges of abuse of power.
