Fresh turmoil ahead of South Korean election

SEOUL, May 02 (AFP): South Korea elects a new president on June 3, six months after previous head of state Yoon Suk Yeol sparked chaos by declaring martial law and was removed from office.

But turmoil persists, with the divisive frontrunner Lee Jae-myung beset by legal problems and uncertainty over who will face him in the contest.

Lee, from the Democratic Party, leads strongly in the polls but is accused of violating election law by making false statements while campaigning in the last election three years ago. The top court on Thursday overturned a not-guilty verdict and ordered a retrial for Lee, 61, a former factory worker who lost the 2022 contest to Yoon by a tiny margin.