Seoul, April 28 South Korean Acting President Han Duck-soo is likely to resign and declare his bid for the June 3 presidential election later this week, an official said on Monday.
Han has been a favourite among conservatives to challenge Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, in the election triggered by the impeachment of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
"(Han's) resignation from office and bid for the presidential election will be decided on any day from May 1 to 3," an official at Han's office told Yonhap News Agency.
As a public official, the acting president faces a May 4 deadline to resign in order to run for election. Given that the conservative People Power Party is scheduled to pick its presidential nominee Saturday, and the observance of an extended public holiday from Saturday through next Tuesday, announcing his presidential bid this Thursday or Friday could maximise public interest.
Before then, Han is expected to follow his public schedule, including a Cabinet meeting Tuesday and a reported meeting with US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported.
Supporting the likelihood of a shot at the presidency, several of Han's aides have been said to be preparing to resign in order to help launch his campaign.
Son Young-taek, Han's chief of staff, submitted his resignation Monday.
Under the Constitution, the country is required to hold a new election within 60 days after a vacancy arises in the presidency.
The government also designated June 3 as a temporary public holiday.
The National Election Commission began early candidate registration shortly after the Constitutional Court dismissed Yoon.
Candidates will be required to register by May 11 and the official campaign period will kick off on May 12.
The law also requires a public servant running for President to resign at least 30 days before an election, making May 4 the deadline.
The new President will assume office immediately after the election without a transition team.
When former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office on March 10, 2017, the early election was also held exactly 60 days later, on May 9.
Meanwhile, Yoon, who dramatically rose from a top prosecutor to the presidency in about three years, became the nation's second President to be formally removed from office, with his surprise martial law bid rattling the nation for months and deepening political polarisation.
With the ruling, Yoon, 64, follows in the footsteps of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment over a corruption scandal.
Before taking the nation's highest office, Yoon began his career as a prosecutor in 1994, rising through the ranks to lead an investigation team into Park's corruption scandal that ultimately led to her ouster and subsequent imprisonment.
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