Political campaigning in South Korea ahead of presidential elections due on 9th May is now well underway. Given the extent of public anger against ousted former president Park Geun-hye and her ruling party, the next president is likely to come from one of the main opposition parties. Recent polls suggest Moon Jae-In of the Democratic Party (DPK), who ran against Park in the 2012 presidential election, is the front-runner. He is a proponent for closer engagement with North Korea and increased government spending to create more jobs. Moon Jae-In’s closest rival for the presidency is the People’s Party’s Ahn Cheol-soo, who is well-placed to pick up support from conservative voters. Hong Joon-pyo, the governor of South Gyeongsang province, is set to be the candidate for Park’s ruling Liberty Korea Party, but is currently in fifth place in opinion polls and has little chance of victory. The next president will take control of an economy facing multiple challenges, including Chinese retaliation to Korea’s plans to deploy a US anti-missile defence system, high levels of household debt, a rapidly ageing population and a rigid labour market.
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