SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – A former anti-government student leader, Moon Jae-in stands poised to succeed ousted leader Park Geun-hye, the daughter of the slain South Korean dictator who jailed him in the 1970s.
Moon, the current front-runner in Tuesday’s election, has led a life that seems custom-made for a starring role in South Korean opposition politics.
The son of North Korean refugees, he waited in line as a boy in war-ravaged Busan for free U.S. corn flour and milk powder. Imprisoned as a university student for trying to topple South Korea’s military rulers, the dictatorship later forced Moon into South Korea’s elite special forces. He became a human rights lawyer and then rose to what the media called “King Secretary” to the last liberal leader of the country, with whom he worked to reconcile with North Korea. He later defended that mentor from corruption charges.
Moon, 64, who lost to Park in the 2012 elections by a million votes, says this election will probably be “the very last challenge in my life.” He said in a video message last month that he wants to be a leader who “opens the door for a new era, new politics and a new generation. This is my desperate wish … I’ll definitely win.”
Moon’s popularity rose after Park was felled by a huge corruption scandal that left the country’s powerful conservative establishment rudderless.