South Korea's top court to rule on presidential frontrunners case as election looms
Reuters
South Korea’s Supreme Court will rule Thursday on an election-law case that could knock liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung off the June 3 presidential ballot, even as acting leader Han Duck-soo prepares to resign and enter the race.
Lee, candidate of the Democratic Party that controls parliament, tops opinion polls despite facing several criminal cases. The election-law charge looms largest: if the Supreme Court overturns an appeals-court acquittal and the verdict becomes final, Lee would be barred from running for office for at least five years.
A decision is due at 3 p.m. (0600 GMT) and must win the support of at least seven of the court’s 12 justices. Analysts say the accelerated timetable aims to keep the unresolved case from hanging over the campaign.
The snap vote was triggered by the ouster of conservative President Yoon Suk yeol following his imposition of martial law. Months of political turmoil and U.S. tariff pressures have already weighed on Asia’s fourth-largest economy; removing Lee from the ballot could deepen partisan rifts.
Meanwhile, Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is expected to resign on Thursday, clearing the way for a presidential bid that would capitalize on his higher profile since Yoon’s removal.
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