South Korea’s representative president, Prime Minister Han Dak Saw, resigned on Thursday. This is what they plan to be permanently present in the June 3rd presidential election.
For several weeks, Han has shown that he is pondering whether he will run towards the June election. This was called after the banishment of former president Yeong Yeol, who appointed Han as the second official of the administration.
Han’s resignation comes shortly after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that could endanger the presidential bid for the country’s majority Democratic presidential candidate, Yi Jae-myeon, who is the current frontline for votes to win the election.
The ruling threatens to add uncertainty to the elections that South Koreans hope to bring months of political turmoil at the country since they declared martial law late last year. Han replaced Yun for a while, but was later fired up before being restored as representative president by the Constitutional Court.
“I have decided to step down to do something that will help our country overcome the crisis it faces,” Han said in a statement Thursday.
Han has stopped saying he will run for president. However, his statement on Thursday was seen by South Korean news media and political circles as a de facto declaration of the president’s ambitions. According to local news media, Han was scheduled to call a press conference later this week to make his presidential bid official.
Following Han’s resignation, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, the next class in the government class, will take over as acting president.
Earlier on Thursday, the country’s Supreme Court overturned a lower class of ruling that violated Lee’s election law and acquitted him for returning a retrial lawsuit. In its ruling, the Supreme Court said it deemed Lee guilty, but said the case against Lee would not be over until the lower courts reign and the Supreme Court reviews the ruling as well.
Lee’s ability to run for President depends on when the lower courts reign and what penalty the court will receive if he is found guilty this time. By law, Lee will be banned from running in the election for five years if he receives a penalty greater than a 1 million win ($700) fine.
It was not clear when the lower courts began deliberating the case.
The Supreme Court decision on Thursday clouded Lee’s presidential ambitions by allowing his political opponents to raise questions about leading the nation about his qualifications.
Lee was elected the party’s presidential candidate on Sunday with overwhelming support. He won nearly 90% of the vote during his party’s major races. He was at the forefront of the big margins of polls in recent weeks, asking people who were preferred by Koreans as president.
Some politicians at the People Power Party are urging Han to run for president. The country’s second-largest party will select a candidate on Saturday, and the person and Han may have to negotiate to decide who will represent the party in the election. Currently, Mr. Han is not part of the party.
The party that supported Yun said the Supreme Court decision on Thursday should disqualify Democrat Lee as presidential candidate.
“It’s common sense for him to step down as a presidential candidate,” said Power Power leader Kwon Young-Se.
Lee vowed to continue, saying that people should decide the future of the country, not the judge.
“I just trust people and move forward with confidence,” he said in a statement posted to his Facebook account. Lee faces several trials on criminal charges and said that Yun’s government designed it for political purposes.
In November, the district court convicted Lee of violating election laws and sentenced him to a prison sentence for saying he made false statements during previous presidential elections. He lost the race to Mr. Yun on the thin razor edge. However, in March, the Court of Appeals acquitted him. It was this last ruling that the Supreme Court was overturned on Thursday.
Lee’s election law trials are being closely monitored because of its political influence. If he is removed from the presidential race, it could further deepen political tensions between the Democrats and the People’s Rights Party.
At a rally near the Supreme Court on Thursday, Lee’s supporters accused the court of “interfering with politics.” At a nearby gathering, his detractor cried out, “Send Lee Jae-myeon to prison!”
