SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — Moon Jae-in, a South Korean human rights lawyer and a top aide to a former leader who was an advocate of a policy of engagement with North Korea, won the liberal Democratic Party primary on Monday (April 3), establishing him as the clear frontrunner for president.
Moon has been leading in opinion polls among candidates for the May 9 presidential election to succeed Park Geun-hye, who was dismissed on March 10 over a corruption scandal involving family-run chaebol conglomerates.
If triumphant, Moon is expected to significantly soften South Korea’s policy towards North Korea, possibly delay deployment of a United States anti-missile defense system that has enraged China and get tough on corporate criminals including chaebol bosses who commit crimes.
Opinion polls have suggested South Koreans will opt for change from two conservative leaders by electing a liberal into the presidential Blue House after nine years of worsening security tension on the Korean peninsula.
