In the run-up to South Korea’s June 3 presidential election, the image of leading opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung standing behind bulletproof glass, wearing a bulletproof vest, and surrounded by police and security agents carrying ballistic briefcases, has become disturbingly common. While it may seem like an overreaction or theatrical paranoia, for many South Koreans it is a new political reality – a troubling reflection of the country’s deepening political polarization, rising political violence, and institutional instability.
Lee has been receiving death threats for weeks. In March 2025, South Korean media uncovered a plot to assassinate him. It was not the first time his life has been in danger. In January 2024, Lee was stabbed in the neck by an assailant during a public event in Busan. He survived the attack and spent a week in the hospital, but it changed the perspective of the security situation and political stability in South Korea.
Even more disturbing was the failed coup attempt in December 2024 by then-President Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon planned to arrest and eliminate key political opponents, with Lee Jae-myung among the top targets. Had the attempt succeeded, Lee would have likely been imprisoned or worse. Reports suggest that he was on a list of individuals targeted for possible physical elimination. Although Yoon was ultimately removed from office and his actions condemned, the fact that a sitting president would even consider such a move is a chilling milestone in South Korea’s democratic history.
These events have transformed the current campaign season into one defined not by policy debates, but by fear, security protocols, and existential concerns about the future of the republic. Democratic procedures are still in place, but in this atmosphere the spirit of democratic competition feels increasingly imperiled.
Lee, a former mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province, has long been a polarizing figure. To supporters, he is a bold reformer willing to confront corporate elites and economic inequality. His critics accuse him of populism, breaking the law, abusing his position, and political showmanship. He has been investigated in connection with various corruption cases and election law violations. Yet regardless of political alignment, the violence directed at him – and the state’s inability to guarantee his safety – have transformed Lee from a controversial candidate into a symbol of the stakes in this election.
The threats facing Lee are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a deeper malaise. Political polarization has reached extreme levels. Social media feeds are filled with conspiracy theories, disinformation, and personalized attacks. Accusations of being pro-Chinese, pro-North Korean, or traitorous are thrown around as routine political rhetoric. Trust in institutions, from the presidency to the judiciary, has sharply declined.
The situation is especially glaring in a country that only a decade ago was praised around the world as a model of post-authoritarian development and stable governance. The 2016-17 candlelight protests that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye were hailed as a triumph of peaceful mass mobilization and democratic accountability. But today, the mood is darker – South Korea now faces the kind of instability more often associated with fragile democracies. This is not because its laws are weak, but because its political culture is in disarray.
With the presidential election scheduled for June 3, the country stands at a crossroads. A forward path still exists. Rebuilding trust, containing political extremism, and strengthening democratic norms are possible, but they require leadership, accountability, and a willingness to reject violence in all its forms.
The stakes are not just who will be the next president. It is the future of South Korea’s democracy – whether it can endure this moment of crisis and whether fear, violence, and division will become the new political normal. Because when a leading candidate needs a bulletproof vest just to campaign, something has gone very wrong.