Key Points

Lee, Kim and Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party have formed a three-way race for the June 3 presidential vote to pick a successor to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his failed martial law bid. So far, the DP's Lee has maintained a comfortable lead in opinion polls.

A National Barometer Survey conducted this week showed that Lee of the DP was leading Kim with 49 per cent support against Kim's 27 per cent, with the minor party's Lee in third with 7 per cent.

South Jeolla Province is considered a stronghold for the DP, and Kim of the PPP, which remains at odds over Yoon's ouster, issued his second public apology for Yoon's failed martial law bid.

In Seoul, Kim said he "sincerely" apologised for Yoon's martial law debacle, in an apparent move to broaden his support base as he struggled to catch up with the DP candidate.

Lee of the DP kicked off the fourth day of his official campaign by holding live YouTube talks with the youth at Hwagae Market in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, to address concerns related to employment, housing and child care.

Lee then travelled to the cities of Gwangyang, Yeosu and Suncheon, and is set to visit Mokpo in Jeolla Province, commonly known as Honam, a traditional support base of the liberal DP, to appeal to voters.

In a Facebook post, Lee also expressed his "sincere" gratitude to teachers and acknowledged their dedication in guiding students in commemoration of Teacher's Day, which fell on Thursday.

Kim of the PPP, on the other hand, focussed on the Seoul Metropolitan Area the same day, starting off with a breakfast meeting on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and corporate strategies at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business.

During the meeting, Kim pledged to amend the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which penalises employers and corporations for fatal accidents in public places.

"If I become the decision-maker, I will make sure that this harmful law no longer disturbs you," Kim said.

Kim then visited Sindorim Station in southwestern Seoul to greet commuters.

He also held a luncheon meeting with Joseph Yun, acting US ambassador to South Korea, at the US Ambassador's residence in central Seoul.

The two sides are likely to have discussed various bilateral issues, including US tariffs and security under US President Donald Trump's second administration, Yonhap news agency reported.

Kim's emphasis on economic and foreign policy issues reflects his strategy to appeal to voters in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, who tend to be less influenced by regional sentiment and are more sensitive to policies.

Kim campaigned in Daegu, Busan and other parts of the Yeongnam region in the country's southeast earlier this week to rally support from conservative voters before returning to Seoul.

- IANS