Lee Jae-myung, the former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) formally declared his candidacy for South Korea’s presidency on Thursday, pledging to build a “genuinely great Republic of Korea” in a Facebook post. Lee, who resigned from his party leadership post on Wednesday, enters the race as the clear front-runner but faces a challenge from Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon, who launched his own campaign the same day.

On the conservative side, former People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, former labor minister Kim Moon-soo and lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo have declared their candidacies, while Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo and lawmaker Na Kyung-won are preparing formal announcements. The PPP’s primary is expected to be highly competitive, with candidates staking out divergent positions following former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s removal from office.