South Korea’s imminent snap presidential election presents voters with a stark choice between two foreign policy visions that diverge on nuclear strategy, alliance doctrine and regional diplomacy.

Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo both claim to uphold the U.S.-ROK alliance as the bedrock of national security, but their approaches reveal different priorities, assumptions and risk assessments.

This Korea Pro analysis outlines the key differences between their platforms, assessing how each candidate could reshape South Korea’s global posture.