SEOUL — South Korean Acting President Han Duck-soo resigned on Thursday,
indicating he would run for the June 3 presidential election.
Han announced his decision during a Press briefing at the
government complex in Seoul, ending weeks of speculation over whether he would
enter the election triggered by the impeachment of his former boss -- former
President Yoon Suk Yeol.
"Thinking of the weight of the responsibility I
carry at this grave time, after thinking long and carefully about whether such
a decision is in fact right and inevitable, I decided that if this is the only
way, I must take it," he said during the briefing, Yonhap news agency
reported.
Han has been a favourite among conservatives to challenge
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, in
the election triggered by the impeachment of former South Korean President Yoon
Suk Yeol.
A Han candidacy is certain to trigger merger talks with
the conservative People Power Party (PPP), whose presidential candidate will be
chosen on Saturday.
The two final contenders -- former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon
and former Labour Minister Kim Moon-soo -- have both expressed an openness to
merging candidacies with the Acting President.
The South Korean government designated June 3 as the date
of the next presidential election following the ouster of former South Korean
President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The designation was made at a Cabinet meeting four days
after the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon over his
short-lived imposition of martial law in December.
Under the Constitution, the country is required to hold a
new election within 60 days after a vacancy arises in the presidency.
The government also designated June 3 as a temporary
public holiday.
The National Election Commission began early candidate
registration shortly after the Constitutional Court dismissed Yoon.
Candidates will be required to register by May 11 and the
official campaign period will kick off on May 12.
The law also requires a public servant running for
President to resign at least 30 days before an election, making May 4 the
deadline.
The new President will assume office immediately after
the election without a transition team.
When former President Park Geun-hye was removed from
office on March 10, 2017, the early election was also held exactly 60 days
later, on May 9.
Meanwhile, Yoon, who dramatically rose from a top
prosecutor to the presidency in about three years, became the nation's second
President to be formally removed from office, with his surprise martial law bid
rattling the nation for months and deepening political polarisation.
With the ruling, Yoon, 64, follows in the footsteps of
former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 when the
Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment over a corruption scandal.
