South Koreans Head to Polls After Months of Crisis and Martial Law Fallout

South Koreans are going to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new president, following a tumultuous six months marked by a brief imposition of martial law by the former leader Yoon Suk Yeol. This unexpected development has tarnished the nation’s global standing as a dynamic, although occasionally disorderly, democracy.

The incoming leader will be tasked with unitifying a society deeply wounded by the attempted military rule and an export-dependent economy struggling with unpredictable protectionist measures from the United States, a significant trading partner and a security ally. The significance of this should not be overlooked.

Voter turnout is projected to be high, with the polls open from 6 in the morning to 8 in the evening. This follows early voting on Thursday and Friday when over a third of the 44.39 million eligible voters cast their votes.

Both liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung and his conservative opponent Kim Moon-soo have vowed to bring change to the country, stating that the political system and economic model established during its emergence as a fledgling democracy and industrial powerhouse are no longer suitable.

Their plans for investment in innovation and technology often coincide, but there are key distinctions. Lee pushes for more equality and assistance for mid-to-low-income families, while Kim campaigns for more business freedom from regulations and labor disputes.

However, looming large over any economic or social policy initiatives is the failed attempt by Yoon to impose martial law, a specter that continues to hover over the election. Lee has referred to the election as a “judgment day” against Kim and his People Power Party, alleging they acquiesced to the martial law attempt by not combating it more vigorously and even tried to extend Yoon’s presidency.

Kim, a conservative who served as Yoon’s labor minister when martial law was declared on December 3, has labeled Lee a “dictator” and his Democratic Party a “monster”. He warns that if the former human rights lawyer becomes president, there will be no checks on their power to alter laws simply because they disagree with them.

Reports indicate that Lee is favored to win, leading Kim by 14 percentage points with 49% public support in a Gallup Korea survey conducted a week prior to the vote. However, Kim had narrowed a broader gap at the start of the campaign on May 12.

The results of exit polls conducted by three television networks will be released when the polls close at 8 p.m. The National Election Commission is set to certify the results on Wednesday, with the winner’s inauguration expected within hours. There will be no presidential transition as the office has been vacant since Yoon was impeached by parliament and then removed by the Constitutional Court on April 4.