South Korea: Acting President resigns, indicates bid for 3 June presidential poll

South Korean Acting President Han Duck-soo resigned on Thursday, 1 May, indicating he would run for the 3 June 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 3 June 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 3 June 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 11 May and the official campaign period will kick off on 12 May.

The law also requires a public servant running for president to resign at least 30 days before an election, making 4 May 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 10 March 2017, the early election was also held exactly 60 days later, on 9 May.

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.