Sawt Falasteen - South 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 (150 miles) southeast of Seoul, telling his supporters he would seek to weaken the concentration of development in the capital region and boost areas away from Seoul.

"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 bulletproof 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.

At his rally in the conservative stronghold of Daegu, Lee said he would seek to improve ties with nuclear-armed North Korea through dialogue -- hinting at a departure from the hawkish stance taken by impeached former president Yoon.

"Isn't real national strength about achieving peace through communication and finding a path to mutual prosperity, rather than pursuing confrontation?" he said.

"Competent national security means building peace in which there is no need to fight."

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, partly due to Yoon's hardline policies towards the North, which has bolstered ties with Moscow, including sending weapons and soldiers to help it fight Kyiv.

- 'Bulletproof measures' -

The conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo kicked off a rally on Sunday in Suwon by commenting on rival Lee's security measures.

"Look, I'm not wearing a bulletproof 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.

While most polls conducted before the blackout placed Kim a distant second, he expressed confidence in winning.

"I believe a major turnaround is currently taking place," he said.

South Korea has entered a so-called "dark campaign period" during which the results of public opinion polls are barred from being disclosed, although pollsters are still conducting surveys.

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.

The winner of the June 3 election will take office the following day on a single five-year term, with no transition period.

Front-runner Lee's likely victory could prove a "a watershed moment in South Korean politics, ending six months of turbulence for democracy since former president Yoon's errant declaration of martial law", said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Lee "has proved to be a political survivor, after legal scandals, questionable opposition tactics, and even threats to his life," he added.

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST