As elections are imminent, South Korean politics gets 3 major changes in 24 hours – Country
South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday doubts about leader Lee Jae-Myung's eligibility for president, while the resignation of the prime minister and finance minister has shocked the interim government since martial law in December.
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho took over as acting president, the third acting president since martial law, second only to a month before the rapid election. The Constitutional Court voted back after its brief martial law attempt to remove former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The Supreme Court ruling shocked the election race, which could threaten the campaign of former opposition leader Lee Jae-Myung, who ruled all opinion polls.
The court overturned an early ruling that cleared Lee, saying he made “false statements” publicly during the 2022 presidential bid, which violated election laws. It sent the case back to the Court of Appeal and ordered a sentence, which could bar Lee from running for up to five years.
South Korea has been performing by a spinning acting president since Yoon's impeachment on December 14, which has hampered efforts to guide Asia's fourth largest economy through the stormy waters of U.S. tariffs.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who has been acting president, resigned on Thursday and is expected to enter the presidential race. Han is expected to announce his presidential campaign on Friday.
Han, 75, initially spent less than two weeks in the Acting Post and was impeached and suspended on December 27 after clashing with an opposition-led parliament, refusing to appoint three other judges to the Constitutional Court.
However, the court restored Han on March 24.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-Mok has served as acting president’s position, while Yoon and Han’s cases are heard in the Constitutional Court.
Choi was scheduled to take over again after Han resigned on Thursday, but then suddenly resigned after parliament resumed the improper process for his decision as acting president.
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Choi played a leading role in his response to U.S. tariffs, apologized in a statement because the country faced a serious economic situation at home and abroad and was unable to continue his work.
Education Minister Lee, the next legal boundary for the country's acting president, was in charge at midnight on Thursday. Local media reported that he ordered the military to remain vigilant and vowed to operate the government in a stable manner.
Lee, 64, is an economist and professor, and has also called on officials to support a fair presidential election on June 3.
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After months of political unrest, Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling could undermine Lee Jae-Myung’s credibility and further deepen South Korea’s division.
Chief Justice Jo Hee-de said in the verdict: “The defendant’s remarks … were considered false statements about important matters and were sufficient to undermine the accurate judgment of the defendant’s eligibility for public office.”
The Supreme Court considered Lee's election lawyer case unusually quickly, but the Court of Appeal did not give a deadline, which usually takes months to revisit the ruling. It is not clear whether a decision will be made before the June 3 election.
Otherwise, Lee Jae-Myung, who denies any misconduct, said he did not expect the judgment to work in this way, but instead promised to follow the will of the people.
Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, said the ruling was a blow to Lee and the liberal Democrats.
“The Court of Appeal will decide whether to disqualify him from running for office, but the Supreme Court actually ruled that he was guilty … moderate voters (10% of the total) will be affected by the news,” he said.
Lee Jae-Myung likes next month’s election the most, winning the election at 38%, while Han Dong-Hoon, former head of the Conservative People’s Power, accounts for 8% and Han Duck-Soo 6% according to a Gallup South Korean survey on April 25.
Lee Jae-Myung is involved in several criminal trials, but the election lawyer case has been the focus because if the Court of Appeal determines a guilty sentence based on a Supreme Court ruling, Lee will be barred from running for at least five years.
The Supreme Court may take a year or more to consider the case, and it was issued on Thursday about a month after prosecutors appealed earlier the court cleared Lee's ruling.
The Democrats criticized the Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday, and a spokesman told reporters there was no chance to replace Lee as a candidate.
