South Korea Presidential Election 2025 Live Updates: Two impeached presidents support Kim Moon-soo, spark controversy

June 2, 2025, 00:48:54 (IST)

June 2, 2025, 00:42:42 (IST)

June 1, 2025, 23:43:00 (IST)

The two main candidates, Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo, have been largely silent about equality for women, which remains a polarising topic in South Korea. In fact, in 2022, when Yoon came to power, one of his promises was to defend men who felt sidelined in a world they believed was too feminist.

The third candidate, New Reform Party’s Lee Jun-seok, is popular among young men for his anti-feminist stance, BBC reported.

June 1, 2025, 23:32:35 (IST)

All South Korean presidential candidates covered stops in one or more of the following regions for 11th hour campaigns, with just two days to go before the key polls:

1. Gyeongsang Region (Andong, Daegu, Ulsan, Busan): Traditionally conservative; Lee Jae-myung’s inroads here signal changing political dynamics.
2. Seoul Capital Area (Seoul, Gyeonggi Province cities): Holds nearly 50 per cent of South Korea’s population and is always decisive in elections.
3. Yeouido and City Hall: Symbolic power centers, where final rallies serve to project strength and confidence.

June 1, 2025, 23:24:48 (IST)

Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party is campaigning at places based on demographics and visibility:

1. Dongtan Lake Park (Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province): A young, suburban area with many voters in their 30s and 40s — a demographic he targeted.
2. Seoul Station: A busy transport and symbolic urban center, ideal for visibility and attracting floating voters.

As a minor party candidate, Lee Jun-seok tailored his campaign to specific voter segments, aiming to secure visibility and push his reformist brand in urban, youthful districts.

June 1, 2025, 23:22:09 (IST)

Opposition frontrunner Lee Jae-myung made the following key stops with just two days to go for the election:

1. Andong (North Gyeongsang Province): Lee’s hometown and a symbolic start to his final campaign push. He used it to position himself as a national unifier, pledging to be “a president for everyone.”
2. Daegu: A conservative stronghold, historically hostile to Democratic candidates. Lee’s presence here shows an attempt to break traditional voting patterns.
3. Ulsan and Busan: Key industrial and port cities. Lee promised to set up the East-South Investment Bank to spur regional development and proposed transforming Busan into a strategic Arctic maritime gateway.
4. Yeouido, Seoul (planned): The country’s financial and political nerve center. It represents national influence, aligning with Lee’s economic vision.

June 1, 2025, 22:52:40 (IST)

Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party made the following stops on his campaign tour just days ahead of the key presidential elections:

1. Suwon (Gyeonggi Province): His home turf from his time as governor. He used it to directly attack Lee, highlighting Lee’s legal troubles and contrasting their governance.
2. Coex, Gangnam (Seoul): A symbol of affluence and conservatism. Here, Kim warned of a “monstrous dictatorship” under Lee and stressed the dangers to democracy.
3. Guri and Uijeongbu (Gyeonggi Province): Swing suburbs around Seoul critical to national election outcomes.
4. City Hall, Central Seoul (planned): A high-visibility public venue for rallying last-minute support.

June 1, 2025, 22:46:32 (IST)

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has emphasized that peace on the Korean Peninsula is key to South Korea’s economic recovery. In a Facebook post, he welcomed an endorsement from US investor Jim Rogers, who has long highlighted the economic potential of inter-Korean cooperation.

Lee echoed Rogers’ view that peace is not merely political but a vital economic strategy, and noted that with transparent governance and sound policies, South Korea could become a major hub in Northeast Asia. Rogers’ statement was read at the National Assembly by business representatives from the now-shuttered Kaesong Industrial Complex.

June 1, 2025, 21:18:40 (IST)

Ahead of South Korea’s presidential election to replace impeached ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, a surge in misinformation has flooded online spaces. False claims primarily focus on foreign interference, such as alleged Chinese manipulation of voter registration and fabricated endorsements by US figures like Donald Trump.

Opposition frontrunner Lee Jae-myung has been frequently targeted with false allegations of loyalty to China, including doctored images showing him kowtowing to Mao Zedong. Conservatives have faced similar disinformation, notably fake US endorsements. Deepfake technology also played a role, exemplified by a fabricated video mocking Lee’s previous hunger strike.

These manipulated narratives exploit South Korea’s polarized political landscape and geopolitical anxieties, posing a significant threat to democratic processes.

June 1, 2025, 20:11:19 (IST)

Left-wing frontrunner Lee Jae-myung has proposed a constitutional amendment to prevent future misuse of martial law, referencing the political crisis sparked by former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law attempt in December.

Speaking on a YouTube talkshow Friday, Lee said leaders should be required to seek parliamentary approval within 24 hours of imposing martial law. He also called for a special prosecutor to investigate the December 3 incident but urged leniency for military personnel who resisted unlawful orders.

Meanwhile, conservative rival Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party warned against a “legislative dictatorship” by Lee’s party, which currently holds a parliamentary majority.

June 1, 2025, 19:47:19 (IST)

Ahead of South Korea’s presidential election, two of the country’s impeached former leaders, Park Geun-hye and Yoon Suk Yeol, made rare public appeals over the weekend in support of Kim Moon-soo, the conservative People Power Party (PPP) candidate.

Park Geun-hye, ousted in 2017 over a massive corruption and abuse of power scandal, visited a traditional market in Daegu, a conservative stronghold, on Saturday. Although she did not explicitly endorse Kim, her appearance, flanked by PPP lawmakers in the campaign’s red jackets, was widely seen as a move to rally support in a region where Kim has shown signs of vulnerability in recent polls. Park told supporters that she had heard people wished to see her at Kim’s rally days earlier, according to The Korea Herald.

On the same day, Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached just months ago over a failed attempt to declare martial law on December 3, 2024, issued a written endorsement of Kim. His message was read at a far-right rally hosted by controversial pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon and was delivered by a former researcher from the PPP’s policy think tank. Yoon urged voters to “protect liberal democracy” and “restore order,” calling for full support for Kim on election day.

The back-to-back endorsements have proven deeply divisive. Critics argue that Park and Yoon’s involvement showed the PPP’s failure to break with its scandal-marred past, while opposition parties have used the moment to frame Kim Moon-soo as the latest in a string of compromised conservative figures. The Democratic Party of Korea called it a “stunning reminder of the dysfunction and abuse of power that voters rejected in past administrations.”

June 1, 2025, 19:10:39 (IST)

With just two days left before South Korea heads to the polls, the three leading presidential candidates– Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, and Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party– spent Sunday crisscrossing the country in a last-ditch effort to sway undecided voters and solidify their base. Each candidate targeted both rival strongholds and familiar terrain in a bid to boost momentum ahead of the decisive vote.

Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner, focused on the traditionally conservative Gyeongsang region, making stops in his hometown of Andong, as well as Daegu, Ulsan, and Busan. In Daegu, he cast the upcoming vote as a referendum on what he described as anti-democratic forces, referencing the failed martial law bid of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. On Facebook, Lee outlined his plans to establish an “East-South Investment Bank” to help revitalise regional economies, particularly in Busan and Ulsan. He also reiterated his ambition to transform Busan into a strategic gateway for Arctic maritime trade. Lee is expected to conclude his campaign in Seoul’s political hub of Yeouido on Monday, according to The Korea Herald.

Kim Moon-soo, running on the conservative People Power Party ticket, campaigned in the Greater Seoul area, including Gyeonggi Province, where he previously served as governor. He held a rally in Suwon, where he sharply criticised Lee Jae-myung, referencing the latter’s ongoing criminal trials and warning against the possibility of South Korea falling into a dictatorship. Kim also addressed the controversial December 3 martial law incident involving former President Yoon, expressing regret and promising to uphold democratic values. Later in Gangnam, he repeated concerns over national stability under Lee’s potential leadership. Kim received a boost when independent conservative candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn dropped out of the race and endorsed him, urging conservatives to unite behind Kim. His final campaign event is expected to take place at Seoul’s City Hall on Monday.

Meanwhile, Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party focused his attention on younger voters. Campaigning in Dongtan, a youthful district in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, he pledged to listen more closely to voters in their 30s and 40s — the area’s predominant demographic. He was scheduled to hold an evening rally at Seoul Station to expand his reach among urban voters.

According to the most recent Realmeter survey released last week, Lee Jae-myung holds the lead with 49.2 percent, followed by Kim Moon-soo at 36.8 percent, and Lee Jun-seok at 10.3 percent. With margins still within striking distance and voter turnout expected to play a decisive role, Monday’s final campaign stops are likely to be critical as the candidates make their final appeals.

June 1, 2025, 18:53:00 (IST)

A Seoul court has approved an arrest warrant for a woman accused of voting twice during early voting last week, including once by proxy for her husband, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The woman, only identified by her last name Park, is a contract worker at the Gangnam Ward Office’s health center.

June 1, 2025, 18:31:51 (IST)

South Koreans queued in long lines in record numbers to choose their next president on Friday, the second day of early voting in a poll triggered by ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s disastrous martial law declaration.

The country is battling to draw a line under months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon’s suspension of civilian rule, for which he was impeached and stripped of office.

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June 1, 2025, 18:18:59 (IST)

The Chairperson of the National Election Commission (NEC), Roh Tae-ak, issued an apology to the public over criticism of the election watchdog’s poor ballot management during the two-day early voting Thursday and Friday for the June 3 presidential election.

“As soon as the election process is completed, (the NEC) will determine the cause (of the mismanagement) and who’s responsible so as to take stern legal actions,” Yonhap News Agency quoted him as saying.

His message came on the heels of NEC Secretary General Kim Yong-bin apologising for the poor management of ballot papers at a polling station in western Seoul, where some voters waiting in long lines were seen taking their ballots outside.

June 1, 2025, 17:06:22 (IST)

Their village is just a stone’s throw from North Korea. So whatever their political leanings, Tongilchon residents all want one thing: a South Korean president who doesn’t stoke tensions with Pyongyang.

About 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Seoul, Tongilchon — the name translates to “unification village” — is one of a handful of settlements set up by the South Korean government in the 1970s.

The plan was for the villages to help the border areas recover from the devastation of the 1950-1953 Korean War, with the land allocated to former soldiers and people originally from the area but displaced by fighting.

Most residents are old. They have lived through the war, presidents from the hard-right military rulers of the 1970s-1980s and the dovish left-wing pro-engagement leaders of the 1990s-2000s.

The election could upend Seoul’s policy towards the nuclear-armed North. The frontrunner, the Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung, is likely to take a much more conciliatory tone towards Pyongyang than hardliner Yoon.

June 1, 2025, 16:56:55 (IST)