There's a long list of countries that are talking with the United States about trade. But only one is in the midst of a national presidential campaign that wraps up next week.
South Korea has not had stable leadership for about six months, when then-President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked the world by declaring martial law.
Since then, the government's gone through three acting presidents. Yoon was formally removed from office just last month, and his center-right People Power Party is trailing in the polls.
The presidential front-runner is Lee Jae-myung of the opposition center-left Democratic Party. Lee dropped out of middle school to work in a factory — later going through high school, college and law school, working as a human rights lawyer before going into politics.
Lee lost a close race to former President Yoon back in 2022. He was convicted of making false statements during that campaign and faces other legal challenges. He says he'll work on security issues with the United States and Japan, while maintaining good relations with China.
Kim Moon-soo of the incumbent party is about 10 points behind in the latest poll. He was a labor activist who was jailed and tortured by South Korea's authoritarian government in the 1980s.
Kim is also a former labor minister, who has promised to cut taxes for the middle class.
Whoever wins is likely to face a severely polarized electorate and a U.S. government eager for trade concessions.
