SEOUL - Former prosecutor-general Yoon Suk-yeol rose to fame as an icon of fairness and justice.
And when he was nominated by South Korea's conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP) to be its presidential candidate, he vowed to "end the politics of division and anger".
The 61-year-old may be a political novice but he is widely viewed as an ideal choice for the top job by voters seeking a change from the current Moon Jae-in administration.
Mr Yoon has been campaigning on the need for regime change, and to eradicate the kind of double standards that the Moon government has become known for.
For instance, it pushed through the appointment of former justice minister Cho Kuk despite accusations that his wife had forged documents to help his daughter's college application.
Born to parents who were both university professors, Mr Yoon studied law at the top-ranked Seoul National University and became a prosecutor in 1994.
Married with no children, he rose to prominence in 2016 after leading investigations against former president Park Geun-hye for corruption and power abuse. He also investigated Park's predecessor Lee Myung-bak for corruption.
Mr Yoon was promoted to prosecutor-general in June 2019 but quit last year in protest over the Moon administration's push to weaken the state prosecution's powers.
During a rally in front of Chung-Ang University Hospital in Seoul last Tuesday (March 1), Mr Yoon criticised the government's many failed policies. He pointed out its inability to stop Covid-19 infections from rising beyond the 250,000 mark amid the current spike in cases, and skyrocketing property prices.
"If the People Power Party and I can take over the government with your overwhelming support, we will work together with the good politicians from the opposition parties to achieve national unity and economic development," he promised.
His rallies tend to draw older voters, many of whom are staunch supporters of the conservative-leaning PPP. But he has younger supporters too.
A lawyer in his 30s, who gave only his surname Yoon, attended Mr Yoon's rally in Sinchon in north-western Seoul last Tuesday "to see what he is advocating".
"He seems very confident, and he's very persuasive when he said it's time to give resounding judgment on the current administration," said the lawyer.
He also said the PPP candidate is drawing a lot of support from younger voters in their 20s and 30s because he has "shown courage in dealing with the wrongdoings of the current administration".
This younger generation, he added, is "very sensitive when it comes to the concept of fairness and justice".
