South Korea sets June 3 as date of election to replace Yoon

South Korea will hold a snap election on June 3 to replace Yoon Suk-yeol, following the former president’s removal from office over his short-lived declaration of martial law, the country’s acting president has said.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the acting president, said on Tuesday that the government had decided on the date in consideration of the “need to ensure smooth election operations and allow sufficient time for political parties to prepare.”

Han said the government had discussed the issue with the National Election Commission and “other related agencies”.

South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Friday unanimously upheld a decision by the legislature to impeach Yoon, who was elected to a five-year term in 2022, finding that the conservative leader had overstepped his presidential authority when he briefly declared martial law late last year.

Under South Korean law, a presidential election must be held within 60 days of a leader’s removal from office.

Yoon plunged South Korea’s young democracy into turmoil when he declared martial law on December 3, claiming that the move was necessary to overcome the political opposition’s obstructionism and “anti-state” forces.

Scenes of soldiers confronting lawmakers and aides at the National Assembly evoked painful memories of past military dictatorships that held sway before the country’s transition to democracy in 1987.

Yoon lifted martial law within hours of his declaration, after the National Assembly voted unanimously to overturn the decree.

Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party is considered the overwhelming favourite in the upcoming election, though he is facing several trials on corruption and other charges.

Han will continue to lead the country until election, which will cap months of political turmoil at a delicate time for South Korea’s export-reliant economy.

United States President Donald Trump last week announced a 25 percent tariff on South Korean imports as part of his “liberation day” trade measures targeting almost all US trading partners.

While Trump exempted a handful of sectors from the tariffs, including semiconductors – a major export of South Korean tech giant Samsung – the country’s auto industry has been hit by a separate 25 percent tariff.

Vehicles are South Korea’s best-selling product in the US, accounting for 27 percent of US-bound exports in 2024 amid a record trade deficit of $127.8bn.

South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo on Tuesday departed for Washington, where he will attempt to negotiate relief from Trump’s tariffs.