South Korea will hold snap elections on June 3 to plug the power vacuum created by the recent removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, the nation’s acting leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, announced Tuesday.
The announcement comes days after South Korea’s Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon over his brief and chaotic imposition of martial law in December 2024.
South Korea‘s law states that an election must be held to replace an ousted president within 60 days.
The elections are key to restoring political stability to Asia’s fourth-largest economy amid slowing growth and an emerging global trade war.
Han said that ministries are making “preparations to ensure an election that is fairer and more transparent than ever, and one that can earn the trust of the people.”
The race to find a successor to impeached President Yoon Suk Yoon Suk Yeol has begun, with a highly polarizing contest likely between conservatives and democrats.
