SEOUL -- South Korea's former chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl, who has been a consistent thorn in the side of President Moon Jae-in, announced his bid Tuesday to replace his nemesis in next year's election.
Yoon said he is ready to run for the Blue House, claiming that principles, and law and order collapsed under Moon's liberal government. The 60-year-old lifelong prosecutor resigned from his position four months ago after clashing with Moon over investigations against his aides and the government's drive to limit prosecutors' authority.
"I will re-establish liberal democracy, the rule of law and the value of fairness," Yoon said in a press conference. "This regime tries to exploit people by extending its term, after privatizing political power."
While vague on policies, Yoon added, "I will make a dynamic country where young people can push for their dreams, an innovative country where freedom and creativity abound, a warm country where the marginalized are not frightened, and a responsible country that shares values with the international community."
When asked his views on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Yoon said, "We don't need to have an ambiguous illusion nor an ambiguous negative idea on a country's leader. We should judge him based on how he leads a country."
Two weeks ago, the main conservative opposition People Power Party elected 36-year-old Lee Jun-seok as its new leader, seeking to take power back from Moon's Democratic Party on the back of support from young voters in their 20s and 30s. Lee cannot run for the presidency due to his age as the constitution bans candidates aged under 40, but the PPP will welcome Yoon and other candidates to join the party.
The DP is also gearing up to pick its own candidate as Moon cannot run as the constitution also limits presidents to one five-year term. Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung leads the party race, followed by former prime ministers Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun.
Yoon is a strong candidate for the opposition as many conservatives support him for his thorough investigation of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, a close aide of President Moon. Cho was indicted in 2019 for manipulating internship documents to help his daughter gain admission to a medical school in Busan. His case is pending at a Seoul district court.
Yoon was the most favored presidential candidate in a Realmeter poll last week, with 32.2% of support. He was followed by Lee Jae-myung on 22.8% and Lee Nak-yon with 8.4%.
Commentators say Yoon may wait to see how the race in the DP plays out, and then make a decision on whether to join the PPP.
"Yoon may watch the race as Lee Jae-myung will face strong challenges from other contenders," said Park Sung-min, a senior political analyst and head of Min Consulting. "He may stay in the third zone, maintaining supports from Honam [a region in the southwest of the country that has been against the PPP]."