By Abiola Olawale
South Korea has officially set June 3 as the date for a snap presidential election.
This comes after the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is currently serving as acting president after the Constitutional Court upheld Yoon’s impeachment last week.
Duck-Soo said the date for the presidential election was finalized during a cabinet meeting, marking the culmination of months of political upheaval sparked by Yoon’s controversial declaration of martial law in December 2024.
It would be recalled that the Constitutional Court’s unanimous ruling on April 4 upheld Yoon’s impeachment, stripping him of power after parliament accused him of undermining democracy by mobilizing troops to obstruct lawmakers.
Yoon’s ouster, only the second of a sitting president in South Korea’s democratic history, triggered a constitutional mandate requiring a new election within 60 days.
With the June 3 date now confirmed, the nation braces for a high-stakes race to determine its 14th president.
The National Election Commission has also opened preliminary candidate registrations immediately following Yoon’s removal, setting May 11 as the deadline for official candidacy and May 12 as the start of the campaign period.
The electoral body announced that public officials aspiring to run must resign by May 4, adhering to election laws.
