In leaderless South Korea, Trump's tariffs will overshadow snap election

SEOUL, April 4 (Reuters) - With a snap election looming, South Korea's rival parties jockeyed for position with vows to focus on the economy and livelihood, but the leaderless country remains hamstrung when it comes to confronting the biggest threat: Trump and tariffs.

The country's Constitutional Court ousted impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday over his shock martial law attempt in December, triggering a new election within 60 days.

Asia's fourth-largest economy and a staunch U.S. ally, South Korea has been governed for almost four months by a revolving pair of interim presidents who have struggled to orchestrate an effective response to U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, which stand to hit the export-reliant country hard.

"For the next two months, Seoul will not be able to properly respond to Trump’s fast-paced decisions, let alone coordinate with Washington on key foreign policy challenges, which could impact South Korea’s national security and economic security in significant ways," said Duyeon Kim, of the U.S.-based Center for a New American Security.

In the wake of the court ruling, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and presumptive frontrunner in the election, promised to "rebuild broken livelihoods, peace, economy, and democracy with the spirit of great unity."

One DP official said Lee is expected to step down as party leader within days so he can run for president.

"After that the party will focus on people's livelihoods," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity since the issues were discussed within the party.

Kweon Seong-do...
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