ISTANBUL

South Korean independent presidential candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn announced on Sunday that he is withdrawing from the race to support People Power Party’s Kim Moon-soo, the Chosun Daily reported.

His announcement came just two days ahead of the presidential election, which is scheduled for June 3, to elect a successor to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his failed martial law bid in December.

During a YouTube broadcast, Hwang expressed his intention to devote all his efforts to assisting Kim, saying: “I will withdraw and dedicate all my efforts to supporting Kim Moon-soo to protect the government.”

He further emphasized: “My final task is to prevent election fraud,” noting, “Fortunately, Kim has pledged to address election irregularities.”

Hwang underscored the importance of preventing Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung from winning, calling it a matter of national urgency. “Kim is the only candidate capable of fighting against anti-state forces,” he added.

On Friday, early voting for South Korea's upcoming presidential election concluded with the second-highest turnout rate of 34.74% since its launch in 2014.

The latest poll released on Wednesday showed Democratic Party candidate Lee leading with 49.2%, followed by Kim of the ruling PPP with 36.8%.