Why is South Korean politics so chaotic now? Here's what you need to know

South Korea is now navigating one of its most politically volatile periods in recent history.

On Thursday, acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo — who had been standing in for impeached and removed former President Yoon Suk Yeol — resigned to launch his own presidential bid. Just hours later, his immediate successor, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, also stepped down amid a parliamentary push to impeach him. The presidency is now in the hands of the next in line to be Korea's interim leader: Education Minister Lee Ju-ho.

It was the fourth change in South Korea's leadership in six months, marking a new peak in the monthslong political crisis that began with Yoon’s sudden declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 — and continues as the country hurtles toward an early presidential election on June 3.

Here's what to know to get a grasp of what's going on.

The crisis began when Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3, sparking a massive backlash across society. This set off a chain of dramatic events — including his parliamentary impeachment, suspension, arrest, abrupt release and eventual removal from office — that destabilized the conservative People Power Party and gave fresh momentum to the liberal Democratic Party of Korea. South Korean politics is sharply polarized between these two major parties.

With Yoon ousted in a unanimous Constitutional Court ruling on April 3, South Korea is set to elect a new president on June 3. Leading the race by a wide margin is Yoon’s archrival, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, former chair of the Democratic Party, whom Yoon beat in the closest election in South Korean history in 2022.

From the conservative camp, currently in the midst of its primary for the presidential race, no candidate has emerged strong enough to pose a serious challenge to Lee, who has a wide lead over all candidates in the field as the front-runner.

In a survey conducted April 28-30 by Embrain Public, KSTAT Research, Korea Research International and Hankook Research, 49 percent of respondents said they believe the current administration should be replaced. Only 39 percent supported maintaining the status quo, while 12 percent were undecided or declined to respond.

Voter enthusiasm is also high — with 84 percent of respondents saying they “definitely plan to vote” in the upcoming election.

Lee holds an overwhelming lead: 42 percent of the Korean adults surveyed said he was the most suitable for president, while over 13 percent said acting President Han Duck-soo was, 9 percent chose former People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon and 6 percent chose former Labor Minister and conservative contender from the same party Kim Moon-soo.

But serious challenges remain — chief among them, the legal battles Lee is saddled with.

On Thursday, in an unprecedentedly fast decision, the Supreme Court overturned a lower court verdict that had judged Lee innocent, instead ruling in a majority decision that Lee should be found guilty in an election law violation case, sending the case back to a lower court for retrial.

Although the ruling did not immediately disqualify Lee from running for president, it has dealt a significant blow to his campaign, with his rivals now pressuring him to withdraw from the race. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has criticized the ruling as politically motivated.

Then, less than an hour after the Supreme Court ruling, acting President Han Duck-soo announced his resignation. On Friday morning, he officially declared his candidacy for presidency in the upcoming election.

What followed was even more drama lasting late into the night: the Democratic Party proposed a motion to impeach Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok — next in line to assume the acting presidency — prompting Choi to resign just moments before the vote. With his departure, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho assumed the role of Korea's acting president at midnight.

All the political chaos now unfolding seems to be building toward South Korea’s June 3 presidential election.

Han Duck-soo, the former acting president, has declared his candidacy with a pledge to serve a shortened term as a caretaker leader for only three years. He vowed to push for constitutional reform that would synchronize the next presidential and parliamentary elections, claiming he will step down in 2028. Though not formally affiliated with either major party, Han is widely viewed as a People Power Party figure, having been appointed directly by Yoon as his prime minister.

Meanwhile, the People Power Party's presidential primary is set to conclude Saturday, with its final choice of candidate coming down to either Kim Moon-soo or Han Dong-hoon. A merger between Han’s campaign and that of the conservative party's final candidate might then occur — a potential conservative consolidation in an attempt to catch up to Lee.

Amidst all this, voters face a key questions: who is more responsible for the current political crisis — and who can be trusted to restore stability and democracy, as well as lead Korea forward?