The favorite of the South Korean presidential race announced his intention to be friends with the Russian Federation

Lee Jae-myung, the favorite of the upcoming presidential elections in South Korea, said on May 18 that he did not intend to abandon relations with Russia and would maintain a balanced policy on the world stage.

"We cannot fully rely on an alliance with the United States. There is no need to completely exclude relations with China and Russia or be in hostile relations with them," the politician said at a televised debate with other candidates for the post of head of state, Yonhap news agency reports. The broadcast was hosted by the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) television network.

In his opinion, foreign policy should be approached from a practical point of view and from a position of national interests. Lee Jae-myung clarified that the alliance with Washington is the main axis of Korean diplomacy, but relations with China, Russia and the United States have different "weight that needs to be taken into account."

"But you also can't go all-in. Relations with China and Russia are important to us, so we need to maintain them," he concluded.

Based on polls from May 11, 52% of respondents support Lee Jae-myung, while his closest competitor Kim Moon—soo has 31%. The elections are scheduled for June 3.

To leave and not return: The Constitutional Court of Korea approved the impeachment of the president

The country is waiting for early elections, the opposition has the highest chances.

On April 4, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea finally dismissed the country's ex-president Yun Seok-young, who also advocated friendly relations with the Russian Federation, from office.

The situation in South Korea escalated on December 3, 2024, after the president declared martial law, which was caused by the threat of paralysis of power due to attempts to conduct impeachment proceedings. The commander of the emergency regime, Chief of Staff of the Army Pak Ahn Su noted that until the lifting of martial law, the activities of Parliament, political parties and associations are prohibited.