Seoul, May 3: South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo resigned on Thursday, clearing the way for a widely anticipated presidential bid in next month’s snap election, following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Han, who served as Prime Minister under Yoon before assuming the role of acting president, announced his resignation in a televised address, saying he was stepping down to take “a bigger responsibility” for the country.
Local media reported that Han is expected to formally launch his presidential campaign on Friday. He is seen as a leading conservative contender, potentially aligning with the People Power Party (PPP), which remains fractured in the wake of Yoon’s imposition of martial law in December.
The PPP, South Korea’s main conservative party, has struggled to regroup after Yoon’s controversial removal from office, which triggered the upcoming by-election. Han, viewed by analysts as a stabilising figure, could unify the party’s base and offer a competitive challenge to liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party.
Han’s potential candidacy sets the stage for a heated contest in what is expected to be a high-stakes election amid political volatility and public concern over democratic norms.
