South Korea faces high-stakes election; fears over China, North Korea and US ties shape voter concerns

Early South Korean voters reportedly turned retired successful grounds numbers this week arsenic the federation awaits the June 3 statesmanlike predetermination successful what has been described arsenic a pivotal contention amid ongoing threats posed by China and caller rocky relations with the U.S. owed to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. 

The person of the progressive Democratic Party of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, is reported to beryllium starring the contention arsenic the frontrunner, but helium has raised immoderate eyebrows aft helium vowed to instrumentality a "pragmatic" attack to geopolitics, chiefly by easing antecedently hawkish positions connected China and lessening dependence connected the U.S.

"The confederation with the U.S. is the instauration of South Korea’s diplomacy," Lee said during a statement earlier this month, Bloomberg reported.

Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea appeals for enactment during a South Korean statesmanlike predetermination run successful Wonju, Gangwon State, South Korea. May 30, 2025. (The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images)

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Lee said the U.S.-South Korea-Japan concern should beryllium expanded, but helium besides said Seoul can’t beryllium "unilaterally bound" to relations with Washington, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to U.S. geopolitical rivalries. 

"We should not neglect ties with China oregon Russia. We request to negociate them appropriately, and there’s nary request to person an unnecessarily hostile attack similar now," Lee besides said during the debate, the South China Morning Post reported.

Former California GOP Congresswoman Michelle Steel, who was calved successful South Korea, explained that China's "bullying" behaviour successful the portion leaves overmuch for the planetary assemblage to beryllium acrophobic about. 

"China [poses] the biggest threat, and they already told the full satellite that they're going to instrumentality implicit Taiwan," she told Fox News Digital. "When they instrumentality over, wherever are they going to spell [to] next? South Korea oregon Japan? The Philippines?

"China has been ever warring to expand." 

Foreign argumentation has taken halfway signifier successful the statesmanlike contention aft blimpish erstwhile President Yoon Suk Yeol threw the federation into governmental chaos aft his December 2024 impeachment.

South Korea's People Power Party's statesmanlike candidate, Kim Moon-soo, waves during a statesmanlike predetermination run successful Seoul, South Korea, May 20, 2025.  (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Yoon was ardently aligned with the U.S. erstwhile it came to opposing Chinese aggression successful the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, wherever Beijing has been accused of expanding, militarizing and blocking state of navigation successful contested territorial zones. 

Lee’s main challenger, Kim Moon-soo of the blimpish People Power Party (PPP), a erstwhile labour curate nether Yoon, pushed backmost connected the antiauthoritarian challenger’s presumption erstwhile it comes to China and the U.S.

But Lee has rejected the thought helium is not prioritizing the U.S. confederation and reportedly said during this month’s debate, "There’s nary request to worry. The South Korea-U.S. confederation is important and should proceed to turn and strengthen."

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Though helium did caution that definite steps taken by the Trump administration, including the 25% tariffs announced earlier this twelvemonth and the imaginable withdrawal of troops has "eroded" the relationship. 

 "If the U.S. continues this mode — eroding its brushed powerfulness and the spot of different nations — it won’t beryllium sustainable. At immoderate point, brakes volition beryllium applied," Lee said. "Until then, endurance is key."

Steel argued the "South Korean radical recognize the value of a beardown narration with the United States."

"Whatever the result of the election, South Korean leaders should clasp President Trump and look to marque an unthinkable commercialized woody that volition payment everyone," she added. 

But Lee has not convinced each who are weary of his presumption connected U.S. relations, including David Eunkoo Kim, laminitis and president of the Truth Forum, a blimpish younker enactment founded astatine Seoul National University.

South Korean and U.S. Marines instrumentality positions during a associated amphibious landing workout with their Filipino counterparts connected a formation facing the South China Sea successful San Antonio town, Zambales province, Oct. 7, 2022. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)

"This predetermination is wide seen arsenic a pivotal infinitesimal for South Korea due to the fact that the stakes — some domestically and geopolitically — are extraordinarily high," Kim said.

"Throughout his governmental career, (Lee) has consistently aligned himself with some pro-North Korean and pro-Chinese agendas. He has been implicated successful sending funds to North Korea successful usurpation of U.N. sanctions, and his deference to China has been thing abbreviated of submissive," Kim said.

Kim was referring to Lee's indictment for an amerciable currency transportation strategy to North Korea, though Lee denies the accusations and has argued they are politically motivated.

During this month’s debate, Lee's opponents claimed Lee is besides a "North Korea risk" arsenic concerns astir Pyongyang’s subject movements proceed to escalate, Radio Free Asia reported.

Lee maintains helium wants to easiness tensions with North Korea by engaging successful peaceful diplomacy. 

A TV surface shows a record representation of North Korea's rocket motorboat during a quality programme astatine the Seoul Railway Station successful Seoul, South Korea, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

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But David Eunkoo Kim told Fox News Digital Lee’s ineligible troubles are different geopolitical vulnerability.

"With aggregate transgression investigations looming, helium has each inducement to cling to powerfulness astatine each costs — adjacent if that means aligning South Korea much intimately with Beijing," helium said. "And this interest is not theoretical. 

"China is already aggressively asserting power successful the region."