Sawt Falasteen - S. Korea presidential candidates rally ahead of June 3 vote

The June 3 election is set to cap months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office.

All major polls have put liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead in the presidential race, with the latest Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate.

Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) -- Yoon's former party -- trailed Lee on 35 percent.

The 60-year-old Lee began his rally in his hometown of Andong, 240 kilometres (149 miles) southeast of Seoul, telling his supporters he would seek to weaken the concentration of development in the capital region and boost non-Seoul areas.

"We should not simply seek a regional equal development strategy but rather provide more incentives for non-Seoul regions to support them more," said Lee, wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Lee has been campaigning with additional security measures, including bulletproof shields set up on the podium.

He was stabbed in the neck in January 2024 in Busan by a man pretending to be a supporter, who later confessed that his intention was to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president.

Lee is set to campaign in Busan later Sunday.

Kim Moon-soo was scheduled to campaign in the greater Seoul area, and kicked off a rally on Sunday in nearby Suwon by commenting on rival Lee's security measures.

"Look, I'm not wearing a bullet proof vest, right? But Lee is now even using bulletproof shields, feeling the vest isn't enough," he said.

"With such bulletproof measures, Lee is poised to impose his own dictatorship and we must stop it," Kim added.

Nearly 35 percent of voters have already cast their ballots -- taking advantage of two days of early voting earlier last week, according to the National Election Commission.

S.AbuJamous--SF-PST