ISTANBUL

South Korea's main opposition leader stepped down Wednesday from his party’s chairmanship to run for president in elections scheduled for June 3, which were triggered by the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration in December.

Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung is considered a frontrunner for the upcoming presidential election, Seoul-based Yonhap News agency reported.

His party is expected to announce his presidential bid on Thursday.

Lee, 61, was elected chairman of the DP after losing the presidential race with a low margin to Yoon in 2022. He led his party to a landslide victory in a parliamentary election in April last year.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid