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2025 South Korean presidential election

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2025 South Korean presidential election
← 2022 3 June 2025 2030 →
Registered44,391,871
Turnout79.38% (Increase 2.30pp)
 
Nominee Lee Jae-myung Kim Moon-soo Lee Jun-seok
Party Democratic People Power Reform
Popular vote 17,287,513 14,395,639 2,917,523
Percentage 49.42% 41.15% 8.34%
President before election

Lee Ju-ho (acting)
Independent

Elected President

Lee Jae-myung
Democratic Party (South Korea, 2015)

An early presidential election was held in South Korea on 3 June 2025. It was originally set for 3 March 2027, but the election was pushed forward after the impeachment and removal of Yoon Suk Yeol.[1][2] The date of 3 June was due to the requirement by the country's constitution for an election to be held within 60 days of when the presidency becomes vacant.[3][4]

Since democratization and the creation of the Sixth Republic, this was the ninth presidential election, the second election after a presidential impeachment, and the first held in a different year than originally scheduled.[5]

Democratic Party nominee and former Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung defeated ruling People Power Party nominee Kim Moon-soo, and Reform Party nominee Lee Jun-seok in a landslide victory.[6][7][8] Voter turnout was 79.38%, the highest since the 1997 presidential election.[9]

Election events

[change | change source]

Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung has had legal troubles that may ban him from being elected president. Under the Public Official Elections act, candidates who receive more than 1 million won in fines or any prison sentence are banned from serving as a public official for 5 and 10 years respectively. In March 23, Seoul High Court reversed a decision made sentencing Lee to one year in prison with a two-year probation, allowing him to run for public office again.[10] However, in May 2, a speedy 10-2 judgement from the Supreme Court reversed the lower court's decision, and sent the case back to Seoul High Court for a retrial.[11] The initial date of retrial was set at May 15, but was later delayed to June 18, which is after the election date.[12]

The two leading conservative candidates former Acting President Han Duck-soo and former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo are expected to merge their campaigns, but made little progress in doing so.[13] Kim has said that the PPP and its chair has moved to unify campaigns without talking with him. A party spokesperson said that it's likely the party would move to remove Moon-soo of his candidacy if he did not agree to unify with Duck-soo.[14] The PPP confirmed early on May 10 that they would cancel the nomination of Kim, and instead nominate Han at an emergency convention the same day.[15] Later that day, members of the PPP rejected a resolution making Han the party's candidate following an all-party vote, resulting in Kim's nomination being reinstated.[16][17] Han later apologized for the candidacy dispute and withdrew from the election.[18]

Candidates

[change | change source]

Democratic Party

[change | change source]

Nominee

[change | change source]
Democratic Party Ticket
Lee Jae-myung
for President
Leader of the Democratic Party
(2022–2025)

Withdrawn candidates

[change | change source]
Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the primaries
Kim Dong-yeon Kim Kyoung-soo Kim Doo-kwan
Governor of Gyeonggi Province
(since 2022) 		Governor of South Gyeongsang Province
(2018–2021) 		Member of the National Assembly
(2016–2024)
Withdrew: April 19 Withdrew: April 19 Withdrew: April 18
[19][20] [21][a][20] [23][24]

Primary results

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The 21st Democratic Party presidential primary election was held on 27 April 2025.[25]

Democratic Party presidential primary election results
Candidate Results Number of votes Vote rate
Lee Jae-myung Nominated 623,695 89.77%
Kim Dong-yeon Eliminated 41,307 6.87%
Kim Kyoung-soo Eliminated 25,512 3.36%
Kim Doo-kwan Withdrew

People Power Party

[change | change source]

Nominee

[change | change source]
People Power Party Ticket
Kim Moon-soo
for President

Minister of Employment
and Labor (2024–2025)

Withdrawn candidates after the primaries

[change | change source]
Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the primaries
Han Duck-soo
Acting President of South Korea

(2024; 2025)

Withdrew: May 10
Nomination rescinded after Kim Moon-soo reinstated as nominee
(Endorsed Kim Moon-soo)
[18]

Withdrawn candidates during the primaries

[change | change source]
Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the primaries
Han Dong-hoon Ahn Cheol-soo Hong Joon-pyo
Minister of Justice
(2022–2023) 		Member of the National Assembly
(since 2022) 		Mayor of Daegu
(2022–2025)
Withdrew: May 3
Eliminated in the final round of primary[26] 		Withdrew: April 29
Eliminated in the second round of primary[26]
[27] [28][29] [30]
Na Kyung-won Yoo Jeong-bok Lee Cheol-woo
Member of the National Assembly
(since 2024) 		Mayor of Incheon
(since 2022) 		Governor of North Gyeongsang Province
(since 2018)
Withdrew: April 22
Eliminated in the first round of primary
[31][32] [33] [33]
Yang Hyang-ja Yoo Seong-min Oh Se-hoon
Member of the National Assembly
(2020–2024) 		Member of the National Assembly
(2005–2020) 		Mayor of Seoul
(since 2021)
Withdrew: April 22
Eliminated in the first round of primary 		Withdrew: April 13
Exits presidential race 		Withdrew: April 12
Exits presidential race (endorsed Ahn Cheol-soo[34])
[35] [36][37] [38]

Primary results

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Candidate 1st Round:
22 April 2025[b] 		2nd Round:
29 April 2025[c] 		Final Round:
3 May 2025[d]
Opinion Polls Membership Votes % Opinion Poll % Membership Votes % Total points (%)
Kim Moon-soo Advanced n/a n/a TBD 51.81% TBD 61.25% 56.53%
Han Dong-hoon Advanced n/a n/a TBD 48.19% TBD 38.75% 43.37%
Ahn Cheol-soo Advanced n/a n/a Eliminated
Hong Joon-pyo Advanced n/a n/a Eliminated
Na Kyung-won Eliminated
Yoo Jeong-bok Eliminated
Lee Cheol-woo Eliminated
Yang Hyang-ja Eliminated
Votes cast n/a 100.0 100.0 TBD 100.0
Sources: [39][40]

New Reform Party

[change | change source]

Nominee

[change | change source]
New Reform Party Ticket
Lee Jun-seok
for President
Member of the National Assembly
(since 2024)
[41][42]

New Future Democratic Party

[change | change source]

Lee Nak-yon hinted at a campaign for president at the National Convention for Constitutional Revision hosted by the New Future Democratic Party.[43] On 30 April, Lee’s campaign advisor announced Lee’s candidacy registration, making his campaign official.[44] However, on May 10, 2025, Lee decided against a run, and did not endorse a candidate.[45]

Withdrawn candidates

[change | change source]
Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the election
Lee Nak-yon
Former Prime Minister
(2017–2020)
Withdrew: May 10
After the primary
[46]

Rebuilding Korea Party

[change | change source]

On 27 April 2025, the Rebuilding Korea Party announced their support for the Democratic Party's Lee Jae-myung for the presidency.[47]

Withdrawn candidates

[change | change source]
Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the primaries
Cho Kuk
Member of the National Assembly
(2024)
Ineligible[note 1]
[49]

Progressive Party

[change | change source]

On 19 April, the Progressive Party selected Kim Jae-yeon as its presidential candidate.[50] However, she withdrew on May 9, 2025 saying that she wanted to stop the PPP, and endorsed Lee Jae-myung.[51]

Withdrawn candidates after the primaries

[change | change source]
Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the election
Kim Jae-yeon
Leader of the Progressive Party
(since 2024)
Withdrew: May 9
After the primary
[52][53][51]

Withdrawn candidates during the primaries

[change | change source]
Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the primaries
Kang Sung-hee
Member of the National Assembly (since 2023)
Withdrew: April 19
Eliminated in the primary
[54]

Democratic Labor Party

[change | change source]

Nominee

[change | change source]

Democratic Labor Party Ticket
Kwon Yeong-guk
for President
Leader of the Democratic Labor Party
(since 2024)
[55]

Independents

[change | change source]

Declared candidates

[change | change source]
Independent Ticket
Hwang Kyo-ahn
for President
Former Acting President
(2016–2017)
[56]

Withdrawn candidates

[change | change source]

Disqualified candidates

[change | change source]

Opinion polls

[change | change source]
LOESS curve for the next South Korean presidential election since 12 May with a 2-day average
LOESS curve for the next South Korean presidential election before nominees were finalised with a 5-day average

Results

[change | change source]
CandidatePartyVotes%
Lee Jae-myungDemocratic Party17,287,51349.42
Kim Moon-sooPeople Power Party14,395,63941.15
Lee Jun-seokReform Party2,917,5238.34
Kwon Yeong-gukDemocratic Labor Party344,1500.98
Song Jin-hoIndependent35,7910.10
Total34,980,616100.00
Valid votes34,980,61699.27
Invalid/blank votes255,8810.73
Total votes35,236,497100.00
Registered voters/turnout44,391,87179.38
Source: NEC

Notes

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  1. ↑ Kim Kyoung-soo was sentenced to prison in July 2021 and was ineligible to run for office until April 2028, but was pardoned and reinstated in August 2024, allowing him to run.[22]
  2. ↑ Conducted using exclusively opinion polls and surveys overseen by five polling agencies, with 4,000 respondents.
  3. ↑ Conducted using both opinion polls managed by five polling agencies that targeted 6,000 People Power Party supporters, and a membership vote consisting of 394,000 party members, each being weighted at 50 percent. The candidates’ voting rates and rankings were not announced.
  4. ↑ Will be conducted using both opinion polls and a membership vote, each being weighted at 50 percent.
  1. ↑ Cho was sentenced to prison in December 2024, making him ineligible to run for office until December 2031[48]

References

[change | change source]
  1. ↑ Rashid, Raphael; McCurry, Justin (14 December 2024). "South Korean parliament votes to impeach president". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  2. ↑ Nauman, Qasim (3 April 2025). "South Korea Awaits Court Ruling on Impeached President's Fate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  3. ↑ Ji-Hwan, Paik (7 April 2025). "Gov't sets snap presidential election for June 3". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 8 April 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "South Korea sets snap presidential election for June 3, drawing out contenders". Reuters. 8 April 2025. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025.
  5. ↑ "Republic of Korea: Election for President". IFES. Archived from the original on 21 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Alisha Rahaman Sarkar (3 June 2025). "Exit polls in South Korea election show huge victory for left-wing leader Lee". The Independent.
  7. ↑ "Liberal Lee set to win South Korea's presidential election: Exit poll". Al Jazeera.
  8. ↑ "South Koreans vote for new president in wake of Yoon's ouster". France 24. 3 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Stephen Quillen (3 June 2025). "South Korea election results 2025 live: Lee Jae-myung projected to win". Al jazeera.
  10. ↑ 구나연 (2025-03-26). "이재명 선거법 위반 2심 무죄‥1심 판단 뒤집혀". MBC 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  11. ↑ Daily, The Chosun (2025-05-01). "With retrial ordered, Lee Jae-myung faces uncertain legal fate even if elected". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  12. ↑ "DP candidate Lee Jae-myung's retrial rescheduled to after the June 3 election". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2025-05-07. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  13. ↑ "Candidate merger failure would be 'betrayal and treachery,' says Han Duck-soo". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2025-05-06. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  14. ↑ "PPP presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo claims party is leaving him out in the cold". Korean JoongAng. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  15. ↑ 기자, 양지혜. "김문수 "국민의힘 후보 자격 불법 박탈…법적·정치적 대응"". Chosun. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  16. ↑ Oh, Seok-min. "(5th LD) PPP members vote down motion to switch presidential candidate from Kim to Han". Yonhap. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  17. ↑ "South Korea's conservatives settle on Kim Moon-soo after nomination turmoil exposes rifts". Reuters. 10 May 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Oh, Seok-min. "Former PM Han apologizes for conservative party's presidential candidacy disarray". Yonhap. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  19. ↑ Yoo, Cheong-mo (9 April 2025). "Gyeonggi governor declares presidential bid". Yonhap. Archived from the original on 10 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Lee Jae-myung takes first Democratic Party primary in landslide victory". Korea JoongAng Daily. 2025-04-19. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  21. ↑ 신진영·송승현 (2025-04-10). "김경수 전 지사, 이번 주 중 출마 입장...민주당 '친문' 합류 얼마나". 아주경제 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 10 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  22. ↑ Koo, Hye-jin (4 December 2024). "복권되자마자 김경수 '꿈틀'…조국 제치고 범야권 대선 주자 3위로". JTBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  23. ↑ "Kim Du-kwan announces presidential candidacy as first progressive contender in Korea". CHOSUNBIZ. Archived from the original on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  24. ↑ "Kim Doo-kwan exits race, setting stage for three-way Democratic Party race". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 21 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
  25. ↑ "민주당 대선후보 이재명 "압도적 정권 탈환 통해 구시대 청산"". Donga. 2025-04-27. Archived from the original on 2025-04-28. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 조선일보 (2025-04-29). "[속보] 김문수 vs 한동훈... 국민의힘 경선 결선서 맞대결". 조선일보 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  27. ↑ "Ex-PPP leader Han Dong-hoon announces presidential run". The Korea Times. 10 April 2025. Archived from the original on 10 April 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  28. ↑ Bae, Jae-sung (29 April 2024). "차기 대통령은 누구죠? 질문에…안철수 "접니다!" 손 번쩍". The JoongAng (in Korean). Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  29. ↑ "안철수, 오늘 광화문 광장서 '대선 출마' 선언". KBS 뉴스 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 8 April 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  30. ↑ Wonju, Yi (14 April 2025). "Ex-Daegu Mayor Hong declares presidential bid". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  31. ↑ 边龙珠 (2025-04-11). "罗景垣宣布参选总统". 韩联社 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 25 April 2025.
  32. ↑ Eun-ji, Bahk. "Ahn joins final four: PPP confirms lineup for second-round primary". Korea Times. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Sun-Ah, Shim (15 April 2025). "Ex-Daegu Mayor Hong declares presidential bid". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  34. ↑ 김한영. "안철수 "오세훈, 저와 정치적 스탠스 가장 비슷하다고 해"". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
  35. ↑ Eun-Jung, Kim (16 April 2025). "PPP shortlists 8 hopefuls for 1st round of presidential primary". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  36. ↑ Han, Sang-hee (7 May 2024). "유승민 "남은 도전 27년 대선 딱 하나…당대표 출마 깊이 고민"". News 1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  37. ↑ 한영혜 (2025-04-13). "[속보] 유승민, 당 경선 불출마 선언 "국힘, 반성과 변화의 길 거부"". 중앙일보 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  38. ↑ Yoo, Mina (12 April 2025). "오세훈 서울시장, 대선 불출마 선언". Yonhap (in Korean). Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  39. ↑ CHOSUNBIZ (2025-04-29). "Kim Moon-soo, Han Dong-hoon advance as Ahn Cheol-soo, Hong Joon-pyo eliminated". CHOSUNBIZ. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  40. ↑ "김문수 56.53% 득표로 국민의힘 대선 후보…"이재명 집권 막기위해 강력한 연대 구축할 것"". KBS 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  41. ↑ Kim, Hyung-jun (11 April 2024). "동탄서 살아난 이준석, '분열의 아이콘' 극복하고 차기 대선주자 위상 찾나". Hankookilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  42. ↑ Sung, Jiwon (18 March 2025). "尹 선고 앞두고…개혁신당, 이준석 대선후보 선출". The JoongAng (in Korean). Archived from the original on 22 March 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  43. ↑ 김정우. "이낙연 "알량한 남은 힘, 대한민국 위기 극복 위해 내놓겠다"". MBC 뉴스 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-20.
  44. ↑ 기민도 (2025-04-28). "이낙연 '대선 출마+반명 빅텐트 합류설'…민주 "거기까진 안 가야"". 한겨레 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  45. ↑ 기민도 (2025-05-10). "이낙연표 '반명 빅텐트' 없던 일…"출마 기다리셨던 분들께 죄송"". 한겨레 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 10 May 2025. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  46. ↑ Park, Soon-bong (12 January 2024). "총선 출마 선그은 이낙연, 대선엔 "지금은…" 여지". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  47. ↑ Oh, Seok-min (27 April 2025). "Minor opposition party vows full support for DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung". Pressian. Archived from the original on 27 April 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  48. ↑ Park, Tae-hun (13 December 2024). "조국 "감옥 가면 턱걸이, 푸시업, 스쾃, 책 읽기…슬감생" 다 계획이 있다". News1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  49. ↑ Lee, Jae-ho (31 March 2024). "조국혁신당 총선 돌풍 대선까지? 조국, 차기 대통령 여론조사 3위". Pressian (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  50. ↑ 배재성 (2025-04-19). "'진보당 대선 후보' 김재연 "韓최초 페미니스트 대통령 될 것"". 중앙일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-05-06.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Soo-jung, Lee. "In backing DP's Lee, Jinbo Party chief shifts focus from feminism to stopping PPP". Korean JoongAng. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  52. ↑ 김채운 (2025-04-08). "진보당 김재연 대선 출마 선언 "국힘 해체, 내란 세력 완전 제압"". 한겨레 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  53. ↑ 배재성 (2025-04-19). "'진보당 대선 후보' 김재연 "韓최초 페미니스트 대통령 될 것"". 중앙일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-05-06.
  54. ↑ "'입틀막' 강성희, 대선 출마 "국민의힘 해산 청구할 것"". 노컷뉴스 (in Korean). 2025-04-08. Archived from the original on 13 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  55. ↑ "권영국 정의당 대표, 대선 경선 출마…한상균과 2파전 전망". Khan (in Korean). 2025-04-14. Archived from the original on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  56. ↑ "스카이데일리, 황교안 "부정선거 척결" 무소속 출마… 尹 화답 '눈길'". Skye Daily. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  57. ↑ Lee, Dong-hoon (19 April 2025). "Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon: "I will run for president"". Chosun Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
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