SEOUL: South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, widely seen as the frontrunner in a presidential by-election triggered by the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol last week, officially announced a presidential bid on Thursday, vowing to heal a starkly divided nation through economic growth.
Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, led the liberal Democratic Party’s campaign to oust the former president over his December declaration of martial law.
Lee recently stepped down as the party’s chairman to focus on campaigning for the June 3 election. He is considered the clear frontrunner in party’s primary. Kim Dong-yeon, the Democratic governor of Gyeonggi province and a longtime financial policymaker, also told reporters Wednesday that he intends to run for president.
Yoon’s downfall has left the conservative People Power Party in disarray, with roughly 10 politicians expected to seek the nomination, reflecting a split between Yoon loyalists, who still control the party’s leadership, and reformists calling for a fresh start.
In a video message, Lee said that Yoon’s martial law saga exposed the country’s deep divisions and social conflicts, and argued that the root cause was a widening rich-poor gap. He promised aggressive government spending to jolt economic growth and ease income polarization.
“We have more than we did in the past, but wealth is too concentrated in certain areas,” Lee said. “With economic growth rates declining worldwide, it has become difficult to maintain and develop an economy solely on the strength of the private sector. However, with government-led talent development and extensive investments in technological research and development, we can revive the economy.”
Lee said it was crucial to maintain a robust alliance with the United States and to pursue three-way cooperation with Japan, but he stressed that South Korea’s national interest should come first in “every decision.”
Lee, who has served as a lawmaker, provincial governor and city mayor, is adored by supporters for his outspoken style and has long positioned himself as an anti-elitist. His critics view him as a populist who stokes division and demonizes conservative opponents while failing to offer realistic funding plans to achieve his ambitious goals.
Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party and a staunch Yoon loyalist, said that if Lee becomes president, he will “ruthlessly wield the sword of dogmatism and retribution” and further deepen the country’s divisions.
Lee also has his own set of legal troubles, facing five different trials for corruption and other criminal charges.
Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court upheld Yoon’s impeachment by the legislature and formally removed him from office over the martial law decree, triggering a presidential by-election within 60 days. The next president will serve a full 5-year term.
Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who heads the party’s anti-Yoon faction, was expected to announce his presidential bid on Thursday. Among the conservatives’ presidential hopefuls, former Labor Minister Kim Moon Soo is considered to be the most pro-Yoon.
Kim, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and senior PPP lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo – a former computer software entrepreneur and three-time presidential candidate – have declared their intentions to run for president. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is expected to enter the race later.
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South Korean opposition leader opens presidential bid following Yoon’s ouster
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South Korean opposition leader opens presidential bid following Yoon’s ouster
- Lee Jae-myung is widely seen as the frontrunner in the presidential by-election
- South Korean opposition leader narrowly lost the 2022 election to ousted president
Ukraine, US to meet for third day, agree ‘real progress’ depends on Russia
MIAMI: Ukrainian and US officials will hold a third straight day of talks in Miami on Saturday, with Washington saying the two sides agreed that “real progress” would depend on Russia’s willingness to end the war.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have been meeting top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and Andrii Hnatov, the chief of staff of Kyiv’s armed forces.
The talks come after Witkoff and Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday to discuss a US plan to end the conflict, but Moscow rejected parts of the proposal.
“Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings,” said a readout of the Miami talks posted on X by Witkoff on Friday.
The US and Ukrainian officials “also agreed on the framework of security arrangements and discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace.”
Washington’s plan involves Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not been able to win on the battlefield in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv’s aspirations to join NATO.
But the nature of the security guarantees that Ukraine could get have so far been shrouded in uncertainty, beyond an initial plan saying that jets to defend Kyiv could be based in Poland.
The US plan has been through several drafts since it first emerged late last month, amid initial criticisms that it was too soft on Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Witkoff, Trump’s former business partner-turned-roving global ambassador, and investor Kushner had hoped to persuade Putin to play ball but came away from Moscow without a deal.
- ‘Genuinely friendly’ -
Still, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the five-hour late-night Moscow meeting on Tuesday was cordial and he praised Kushner joining the talks, which have been going on since spring.
Putin and Witkoff “had a genuinely friendly conversation and they understand each other perfectly,” Ushakov said on Russian state TV on Friday.
“A new person has joined us, and I would say that he has turned out to be very useful,” he said of Kushner.
On the Ukrainian side, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on social media Friday that “the diplomatic process takes place mostly behind the scenes.”
“Ukraine seeks to end the war and is ready for talks,” Podolyak said, adding: “The United States wants a pragmatic process and a quick end to the war, expecting compromises from both sides.”
Trump said Wednesday that the envoys had a “reasonably good meeting” with Putin, insisting that they had the “strong impression” that he would like to end the war.
Trump has blown hot and cold on Ukraine since returning to office in January, initially embracing Putin and chastising Zelensky for not being grateful for US support.
But he has also grown frustrated that his efforts to persuade Putin to end the war, including a summit in Alaska, have failed to produce results and recently slapped sanctions on Russian oil firms.
Putin, who was in India this week meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the talks were “complex” but that he wanted to engage with Trump’s plan “rather than obstruct it.”
Russian troops have been grinding forward across the front line against outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian forces.
Moscow was “massively attacking” the Kyiv region with drones and missiles early on Saturday, regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said on Telegram, adding that three people were wounded in the attack.
For its part, Russia’s defense ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 116 Ukrainian drones overnight.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have been meeting top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and Andrii Hnatov, the chief of staff of Kyiv’s armed forces.
The talks come after Witkoff and Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday to discuss a US plan to end the conflict, but Moscow rejected parts of the proposal.
“Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings,” said a readout of the Miami talks posted on X by Witkoff on Friday.
The US and Ukrainian officials “also agreed on the framework of security arrangements and discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace.”
Washington’s plan involves Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not been able to win on the battlefield in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv’s aspirations to join NATO.
But the nature of the security guarantees that Ukraine could get have so far been shrouded in uncertainty, beyond an initial plan saying that jets to defend Kyiv could be based in Poland.
The US plan has been through several drafts since it first emerged late last month, amid initial criticisms that it was too soft on Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Witkoff, Trump’s former business partner-turned-roving global ambassador, and investor Kushner had hoped to persuade Putin to play ball but came away from Moscow without a deal.
- ‘Genuinely friendly’ -
Still, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the five-hour late-night Moscow meeting on Tuesday was cordial and he praised Kushner joining the talks, which have been going on since spring.
Putin and Witkoff “had a genuinely friendly conversation and they understand each other perfectly,” Ushakov said on Russian state TV on Friday.
“A new person has joined us, and I would say that he has turned out to be very useful,” he said of Kushner.
On the Ukrainian side, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on social media Friday that “the diplomatic process takes place mostly behind the scenes.”
“Ukraine seeks to end the war and is ready for talks,” Podolyak said, adding: “The United States wants a pragmatic process and a quick end to the war, expecting compromises from both sides.”
Trump said Wednesday that the envoys had a “reasonably good meeting” with Putin, insisting that they had the “strong impression” that he would like to end the war.
Trump has blown hot and cold on Ukraine since returning to office in January, initially embracing Putin and chastising Zelensky for not being grateful for US support.
But he has also grown frustrated that his efforts to persuade Putin to end the war, including a summit in Alaska, have failed to produce results and recently slapped sanctions on Russian oil firms.
Putin, who was in India this week meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the talks were “complex” but that he wanted to engage with Trump’s plan “rather than obstruct it.”
Russian troops have been grinding forward across the front line against outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian forces.
Moscow was “massively attacking” the Kyiv region with drones and missiles early on Saturday, regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said on Telegram, adding that three people were wounded in the attack.
For its part, Russia’s defense ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 116 Ukrainian drones overnight.
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