South Koreans vote for new president in martial law aftermath

SEOUL - Polls opened in South Korea's presidential election on Tuesday, pitting a liberal candidate bent on punishing the forces responsible for former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law attempt against a conservative keen on stopping the recklessness of his rival, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The election takes place exactly six months after Yoon declared martial law in a surprise announcement that evoked dark memories of past military regimes and plunged the nation into the worst economic and political crisis in decades.

A man exits a polling booth as he votes during the presidential election in Seoul on June 3, 2025. Polls opened June 3rd for South Korea's snap presidential election, with the country voting to choose a new leader after ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached over his abortive declaration of martial law. "We were the first to arrive with the hope our candidate gets elected, and because the presidential election is the most important," Yu Bun-dol, 80, told AFP after lining up at 6:00 am (2100 GMT) to vote at a polling station in Seoul's Munrae-dong area. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)

Lee Jae-myung, the candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, campaigned on a pledge to overcome the "insurrection forces" led by Yoon in the wake of his impeachment and removal from office less than three years into his five-year term.

Kim Moon-soo, the candidate of the conservative People Power Party, seized on Lee's many ongoing trials and aggressive leadership style to promise a future free of "dictatorship."

Voting began at 6am and will run until 8pm at 14,295 polling stations nationwide, according to the National Election Commission.

A total of 44,391,871 people are registered to vote, including the more than 15.4 million who cast their ballots during two-days of early voting last week.

Early voting turnout came to 34.74 per cent, the second-highest rate since the system was introduced in 2014.

Vote counting will begin soon after polls close. A winner is expected to emerge around midnight, though the vote count will likely be completed around 6 am Wednesday, according to the NEC.

Once the vote count is completed, the NEC will convene a plenary meeting sometime between 7am and 9am to formally approve the election results.

As the election is being held early to replace Yoon, the new president will take office immediately without a transition period.

The inauguration ceremony will likely take place hours later at the National Assembly, though details will be confirmed after the president-elect is determined.

A total of five candidates are vying for the nation's top political office after two dropped out during the campaign.

Aside from Lee and Kim, they are Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party, Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labour Party and Song Jin-ho, an independent.

Surveys conducted before the blackout on all nationwide polls last week showed the DP's Lee maintaining a comfortable lead of around 10 percentage points over Kim, although the gap had narrowed from earlier.

Support for Lee was in the 40 per cent range, followed by 30-something per cent for Kim and around 10 per cent for Lee Jun-seok.

Both Lee and Kim have made economic growth their No. 1 campaign promise, with an emphasis on nurturing the artificial intelligence industry.

On security issues, Lee has vowed to pursue "pragmatic" diplomacy in response to the changing global order, while Kim has stressed building deterrence against North Korea's nuclear threats.

Lee and Kim agree on the need to revise the Constitution to replace the current single five-year presidential term with a four-year, two-term system.

Kim has pledged to cut short his own term to three years to align the president's term with those of National Assembly members beginning in 2028.

Lee, however, has called for holding a referendum on amendments to the Constitution and applying the changes starting in 2030. - BERNAMA-YONHAP