Leading contenders to replace South Korean President Yoon

A dramatic move by South Korean President Yun Suk Yeol The imposition of martial law and its reversal hours later have raised questions about the fate of the deeply unpopular leader. Yun has already faced calls from opposition politicians to step down and could face impeachment by parliament if he does not. The president’s term lasts until 2027 but if he steps down early, it will trigger an election to decide his successor.
Here’s a look at three leading figures who could replace Yun if he is forced out or chooses to leave.
Lee Jae-myung
Lee, the 60-year-old leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, narrowly lost to Yun in the 2022 presidential election. The Democratic Party’s landslide victory in April’s parliamentary elections gave Lee a strong tailwind for another run for the presidency, but he also faces the threat of exclusion from political life after a court found him guilty of violating election laws in November.
Under Lee, the Democratic Party is considering raising taxes on wealthy individuals and the chaebol conglomerates that dominate the corporate landscape. Lee is also an advocate of universal basic income and has proposed cash handouts totaling 13 trillion won ($9.6 billion) to citizens as a way to revive the economy.
South Korea Parliamentary Elections
Lee Jae-myung
Lee advocates a more conciliatory approach to relations with North Korea than Yun, which could align with President-elect Donald Trump if the incoming US leader seeks to revive summit diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. However, Lee is more cautious about taking a tough line on China and pursuing closer ties with Japan, which could make coordination between the US and its regional allies more challenging.
The Seoul Central District Court convicted Lee of making false claims while campaigning for the presidency in 2021 and sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years. Lee appealed the ruling.
If the verdict is upheld, Lee will lose his parliamentary seat and be ineligible to run in the next presidential race. Under the country’s law, defendants sentenced to fines of 1 million won ($716) or more for election offenses cannot run for public office for five years.
Lee’s career has been overshadowed by scandals in his personal life, a stabbing attack on him in January this year and an investigation into alleged land speculation in Seongnam, where Lee served as mayor. He has denied any wrongdoing and called the legal action against him politically motivated.
Han Dong-hoon
The leader of Yun’s ruling People’s Power Party, Han moved quickly to reject the president’s decision to impose martial law. “I will stop this together as a people,” Han wrote in a Facebook post shortly after Yun’s announcement.
Opinion polls show that Han will be one of the most popular choices to replace Yun in a presidential election scheduled for 2027. The 51-year-old worked with Yun as a prosecutor before they both entered politics and became Han Yun’s first justice minister.
If he becomes president, Han will likely represent policy consistency with the Yun administration, emphasizing a business-friendly approach, a tough stance on North Korea and closer ties with the US and other allies, including Japan.
The rising star of conservative politics in South Korea has sought to represent a new generation of politicians who want to cut privileges and benefits for lawmakers. Hahn is known for playing a central role in investigating and securing the convictions of two former conservative presidents; Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye.
Cho Cook
Cho, Yoon’s staunch enemy, will be the wild card to replace the current president. Cho Nana heads the leftist Rebuilding Korea Party and was a senior presidential secretary during the administration of President Moon Jae-in.
Cho helped hire Yoon as the country’s top prosecutor in 2019, but then Yoon forced an investigation into Cho that he and his wife had forged academic documents to get their daughter into medical school. The couple was convicted and Cho lost his job as a university professor.
He has since re-emerged as a political leader determined to bring down Yoon, but a pending Supreme Court decision on whether to uphold his earlier conviction could keep him out of politics until the next presidential election.
The Rebuilding Korea Party’s policy platform is similar to Lee’s Democratic Party, including an expanded social safety net and a larger role for the government in the economy. Cho is likely to adopt a dialogue approach with North Korea, and skepticism toward coordinated pressure on Pyongyang with allies such as Japan.