SEOUL: South Korea will hold a snap presidential election June 3 to replace recently ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, the country's acting leader Han Duck-soo announced Tuesday.

The announcement came days after the Constitutional Court removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December.

Deep political polarisation will likely shape the June 3 election, expected to be a two-way showdown between the two major political parties: Yoon's conservative People Power Party and its chief liberal rival, the Democratic Party.

The focus of attention is on whether conservatives can regroup and field a strong candidate to compete against the likely Democratic candidate, Lee Jae-myung.

It will be an uphill battle for the governing People's Power Party to hold on to power it struggles to restore public confidence and heal a severe internal division triggered by Yoon's martial law stunt.