2022 South Korean presidential election

The Democratic Party (Korean: 더불어민주당) is the ruling political party of South Korea following its victories in the 2017 presidential election and the 2020 National Assembly election. While the current party was technically founded in 2014[8], it should be understood as the current iteration of South Korea's long line of liberal parties dating back to the original Democratic Party that was founded in 1955. The party is considered to be something of a big tent party comprising both centrist[9] and liberal factions[10]. Politicians in the party generally support a social market economy with a strong social safety net, anti-corruption measures, direct democracy, and green policies.[11] On matters of foreign policy, the party supports reconciliation and eventual reunification with North Korea[12]. Incumbent president Moon Jae-in, a member of the party, is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits. The party is particularly strong in North and South Jeolla.[13]

The following individuals have been mentioned as potential candidates of the Democratic Party for the 2022 presidential election:

• Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi and former Mayor of Seongnam.[14]
• Lee Nak-yeon, Member of the National Assembly, former Prime Minister and former Governor of South Jeolla.[15][16][17]
• Kim Boo-kyum, former Minister of the Interior.[18]
• Kim Kyoung-soo, Governor of South Gyeongsang.[19]
• Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, and former member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.[20][19]

• 
  Lee Jae-myung
• 
  Lee Nak-yeon
• 
  Kim Boo-kyum
• 
  Kim Kyoung-soo
• 
  Park Won-soon

Following and prior to his victory in the crucial district of Jongno in the 2020 legislative election, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon has emerged as the unequivocal frontrunner for both the Democratic Party's nomination and the general election. Lee, who previously served as Governor of the liberal stronghold of South Jeolla and is celebrated for his expertise on Japanese relations[21][22], is not considered to be a member of Moon's faction of the party.[23][5] Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-Myung, who ran a left-wing populist campaign for president in 2017 while Mayor of Seongnam, has emerged as the second most popular prospective candidate across parties as a result of his well-received response to the 2019 coronavirus pandemic[5].

Others mentioned as potential Democratic candidates include Park Won-soon, the three-term Mayor of Seoul who was initially elected as an independent; Former Minister of Health and Welfare Rhyu Si-min, a 2007 presidential candidate who announced his retirement from politics in 2013 but has since become an internet commentator and chair of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation[24]; Kim Kyoung-soo, a Moon ally and former member of the National Assembly who won the 2018 gubernatorial election in the traditionally conservative South Gyeongsang Province but has since been accused of involvement in the 2018 opinion rigging scandal in South Korea[19][25]; Kim Boo-kyum, a former member of the conservative Grand National Party who served as Minister of the Interior and Safety under Moon and is considered to be a political centrist.[18]

Ahn Hee-jung, the former Governor of South Chungcheong who came in second to Moon in the 2017 Democratic primary while running on a centrist platform that included moderate positions on national security, is ineligible to run due to his rape conviction and subsequent imprisonment.[26] Ahn had previously been seen as a likely successor to Moon owing to his cross-partisan appeal that included voters who later voted for centrist candidate Ahn Cheol-soo (no relation).[27]

The United Future Party (Korean: 미래통합당) is the current iteration of a long line of South Korean conservative parties. The party was formally established in 2020[28] following a merger of multiple conservative parties created in the fallout of the 2016 South Korean corruption scandal that led to the fall of conservative president Park Geun-hye and her Saenuri Party. In the 2017 presidential election, the party's predecessor nominated right-wing populist[29] Hong Jun-pyo, who went on to lose the election to liberal Moon Jae-in. The party lost further ground in the 2020 National Assembly election[30]. On matters of policy, politicians in the party generally support neoliberal economic policies (including support for chaebols[31], the industrial conglomerates that dominate the South Korean economy) and hold conservative positions on national security, including hawkish stances on North Korea[32]. The party is particularly strong in the southeastern Gyeongsang region.[33]

The following individuals have been mentioned as potential candidates of the United Future Party for the 2022 presidential election:

• Hong Jun-pyo, Member of the National Assembly, former Governor of South Gyeongsang, former chairman of the Liberty Korea Party, and 2017 presidential candidate.[34]
• Hwang Kyo-ahn, former Acting President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Justice.[35]
• Oh Se-hoon, former Mayor of Seoul.[36][37]
• Yoo Seong-min, Member of the National Assembly, 2017 presidential candidate, and former chairman of the Bareunmirae Party.[37]

• 
  Hong Jun-pyo
• 
  Hwang Kyo-ahn
• 
  Oh Se-hoon
• 
  Yoo Seong-min

Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, a longtime prosecutor who entered politics as Minister of Justice and later became President of South Korea following Park Geun-hye's resignation, was seen as the most likely right-wing candidate for the 2022 presidential election[38]. However, his high-profile defeat in the 2020 South Korean legislative election in the crucial Jongno district versus Democratic former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon harmed his standing in national polling.[39] As a result, right-wing populist Hong Jun-pyo, the conservative opponent of Moon in 2017, has emerged as the leading conservative candidate in 2022[40].

Former Mayor of Seoul Oh Se-hoon, famous for resigning following the failure of the 2011 Seoul free lunch referendum, has also been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate following his defeat in the 2020 South Korean legislative election.[34] National Assembly member Yoo Seong-min, one of the most prominent conservative opponents of Park and a co-founder of the breakaway Bareun Party in 2016, is also mentioned as a possible candidate[37].

The Justice Party (Korean: 정의당) is a centre-left, social democratic and progressive party that was founded in October 2012.

The People Party (Korean: 국민의당) is the most recent party founded by centrist politician Ahn Cheol-soo, a former medical doctor and software executive who ran for president in 2017 and 2012. At one point, Ahn, who describes himself as a practioner of "new politics"[41], emerged as a major threat to liberal candidate Moon Jae-in in 2017 following the conservative Hong Jun-pyo's collapse in polling. However, Ahn finished in third place behind winner Moon and Hong with approximately 21.41% of the vote[42]. In the 2020 National Assembly election, the People Party faired poorly, winning a mere 3 seats. In comparison, Ahn's previous outfit, the similarly named People's Party, won an unexpectedly large 38 seats in the 2016 National Assembly election.[43]

The following individuals have been mentioned as potential candidates of the People Party for the 2022 presidential election:

• Ahn Cheol-soo, 2017 presidential candidate, founder of the People Party, and founder of AhnLab, Inc.

• 
  Ahn Cheol-soo

Ahn Cheol-soo, a medical doctor, software engineer, and former National Assembly member who is known for his centrist views, is considered a possible 2022 presidential candidate following his impressive performance in the 2017 presidential election[34]