South Korea set to hold snap presidential election on June 3 following Yoon's impeachment

South Korea is set to hold a snap presidential election on June 3 to elect a successor to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office last week by the Constitutional Court.

Acting President Han Duck-soo is expected to formally approve the election date during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (April 8), Yonhap News Agency cited government officials as saying.

The decision comes in the wake of Yoon’s impeachment, marking only the second time in South Korea’s democratic history that a sitting president has been removed from office. Yoon, a former prosecutor and conservative leader who took office in 2022, was dismissed after the court found he had seriously violated the constitution by attempting to invoke martial law in response to growing political dissent and street protests.

The court’s unanimous ruling last Friday (April 4) stunned the nation, citing abuse of power and endangerment of democratic norms.

The ruling instantly stripped Yoon of his powers and set in motion the electoral timeline mandated by South Korean law, which requires a presidential vote within 60 days of an impeachment.

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Election process accelerates

The National Election Commission began preliminary candidate registration shortly after the court’s decision. If the proposed date is confirmed, candidates will have until May 11 to register, with the official campaign period commencing on May 12.

Public officials who intend to run must resign by May 4, at least 30 days prior to election day, in accordance with election law. The newly elected president will take office immediately following the final vote tally, without a customary transition period.

Echoes of Park Geun-hye’s impeachment

The dramatic collapse of Yoon’s presidency has drawn comparisons with the 2017 impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, who was removed over a sprawling corruption scandal. In that instance, the election to choose her replacement was also held exactly 60 days later.

But the nature of Yoon’s downfall was markedly different— and more alarming to many South Koreans. His proposed martial law plan reportedly included deploying military units in Seoul to suppress demonstrations, sparking fears of authoritarian regression in one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies.

With inputs from agencies