South Korea votes for new President: Liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung headed for easy win | What we know

South Korea on Tuesday, June 3, votes to elect their new President months in a snap election after months of turmoil triggered by the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol following the imposition of a martial law in December 2024.

After his martial law debacle, Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by South Korean Parliament and then removed by the Constitutional court on April 4, paving way for the snap elections for the election of a new President.

A high voter turnout is anticipated, with polls open from 6 am to 8 pm following early voting on Thursday and Friday, during which over a third of the 44.39 million eligible voters had already cast their ballots.

As of 7 am, 1.08 million people, or 2.4 per cent of the electorate, had voted at 14,295 polling stations around the country, according to the National Election Commission. Around 2.5 million people had cast their ballots nationwide as of 8 am.

Also Read | Dior bag and martial law: The scandal that rocked South Korea’s presidency

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE VOTING?

The National Election Commission will certify the result of South Korea elections on Wednesday, June 4. Observers say the winner could emerge as early as midnight.

The winning candidate will immediately be sworn in as President on Wednesday for a single, full term of five years without the typical two-month transition period.

No Presidential transition is expected as Yoon was removed in April and the office lies vacant.

WHO IS EXPECTED TO WIN?

According to the opinion polls and pre-election surveys, Yoon Suk Yeol's arch rival Lee Jae-myung, who had lost the last Presidential polls to Yoon by slimmest margin, is headed for an easy win this time.

According to polls released a week before the vote, Lee is leading Kim by 14 percentage points with 49 per cent public support in a Gallup Korea survey, although Kim had narrowed an even wider gap at the start of the campaign on May 12.

Lee Jae-myung had spearheaded the opposition-controlled Parliament’s impeachment of Yoon over the imposition of martial law in December.

During the six hours of martial law, Lee Jae-myung scaled the walls of the National Assembly to bypass the security cordons and called on his supporters to protest the orders by Yoon.

The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, has struggled to win over moderate, swing voters as his People Power Party remains in a quagmire of internal feuding over how to view Yoon’s actions.

(With agency inputs)