South Korean voters head to presidential polls following months-long political crisis

South Koreans headed to the polls on June 3, 2025, to elect a new president to lead the nation. Opposition Democratic Party nominee Lee Jae-myung was the front runner ahead of conservative ruling People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo in the final polls conducted the week before the election. A third contender, Lee Jun-seok, a former PPP leader who is now running for the Reform Party, was splitting the conservative vote. The winner will face major challenges, including uniting a deeply fractured country and restoring growth to a shrinking economy that is among the world’s most vulnerable to tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.