South Korea went to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new president following a crisis triggered by the actions of the former head of state, Korean media reported.
The fateful election comes after months of chaos caused by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law. Five candidates are vying for the post: 61-year-old Lee Jae-myung from the Democratic Party, 73-year-old Kim Moon-soo from the Civic Force Party, 40-year-old Lee Jun-seok, representative of the New Reform Party, 61-year-old Kwon Yeong-guk, leader of the Democratic Labour Party, and 57-year-old Song Jin-ho, an independent candidate.
By 8 p.m., 14,295 polling stations will be open. The total number of registered voters is 44,391,871, including 15.4 million who already voted early on May 29-30. 34.7% of voters took part in early voting, which is a record since 2014. The counting of votes will begin immediately after the polls close. The winner will be announced around midnight.
Reasons for electing a new president
The snap elections are being held due to Yoon’s resignation. The new president will take office without a transition period. The inauguration ceremony is likely to take place a few hours after the official election results are announced.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, 64, was removed from office following an impeachment supported by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea on April 4. The court found Yoon guilty of “mobilising the army and police, removing constitutional authorities, including parliament, violating the rights of the nation and betraying his duty to protect the rule of law” on December 3, 2024. At the time, there was no “national emergency” in the country. Yoon was arrested on January 15 and became the first South Korean leader in history to be detained. He was released on March 7. Yoon disagrees with the actions of the investigation and the court, considering them illegal.
