SEOUL, June 3 (Alliance News): South Koreans began voting Tuesday in a snap presidential election, following months of political turmoil triggered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s imposition of martial law and subsequent impeachment.
Polling stations opened at 6:00 am, with elderly voters first in line in Seoul’s Munrae-dong neighborhood. “We came early hoping our candidate wins. A presidential election is the most important,” said 80-year-old Yu Bun-dol, a supporter of the conservative People Power Party (PPP).
More than a third of registered voters had already participated in early voting last week, the National Election Commission said.
Liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party is leading the race with 49 percent support, according to a Gallup survey. His closest rival, Kim Moon-soo of the PPP — Yoon’s former party — trails with 35 percent.
The election, seen as a referendum on Yoon’s failed administration, comes after his controversial declaration of martial law and deployment of troops to parliament earlier this year. It marks the second time in a decade a conservative South Korean president has been removed from office, after Park Geun-hye in 2017.
“The martial law crisis not only shifted moderates but fractured the conservative base,” said Kang Joo-hyun, a political science professor at Sookmyung Women’s University.
Analysts say the PPP is facing an identity crisis, worsened by Kim’s failure to unite with Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok, risking a split in the conservative vote.
“This election is a turning point,” said Jung Se-yoon, a retired teacher voting in the liberal stronghold of Gwangju. “If we miss this chance, it will take too long for the country to recover.”
With Lee’s party already holding a parliamentary majority, a decisive win could solidify his mandate. “The real question is not whether Lee wins, but whether he secures more than 50 percent of the vote,” said Bae Kang-hoon, co-founder of the think tank Valid.
In a snap election, the new president assumes office immediately after the National Election Commission ratifies the result, with no transition period. The outcome is expected to shape South Korea’s future political landscape significantly.
