SEOUL, South Korea — South Koreans voted today for a new president, with victory widely predicted for a liberal candidate who has pledged to improve ties with North Korea, re-examine a contentious U.S. missile defense shield and push economic changes.
Conservatives worry that a victory by Moon Jae-in might benefit North Korea and put South Korea at odds with its most important ally, the United States.
But Moon has been the clear favorite as the country’s powerful conservative forces struggle to regroup after a huge corruption scandal that led to President Park Geun-hye’s removal from office and arrest in March.
“This is the last challenge of my life. I’ve really done my best so far. I’ve made enormous preparations. I’m confident. I’ll strain every nerve to the last minute to be a president for all the people,” Moon, 64, said on the eve of the election.
The final opinion surveys released last week showed Moon, the Democratic Party candidate, had about a 20 percentage point lead over his two main rivals — a centrist and a conservative.
His victory would end a near decade of conservative rule by Park and her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak. When the liberals were last in charge in Seoul, Moon served as chief of staff for then President Roh Moo-hyun. They sought closer ties with North Korea by setting up large-scale aid shipments to the North and by working on now-stalled joint economic projects.
Voting stations opened at 6 a.m. and are to close at 8 p.m. South Korean TV stations plan to release the results of their joint exit polls soon after the vote ends and are expected to predict a winner before midnight.
The winning candidate will be officially sworn in as South Korea’s new president after the National Election Commission ends the vote count and confirms the winner on Wednesday. This forgoes the usual two-month transition because today’s vote is a by-election to choose a successor to Park. Her term was originally to end in February 2018. The new leader will still serve out a full, single five-year term.
Park, South Korea’s first female president, is currently jailed at a detention facility near Seoul and awaits a criminal trial set to start later this month. She has been indicted on bribery, extortion and other corruption allegations that could theoretically send her to jail for life.
The allegations incensed many in South Korea, with millions taking to the streets and calling for her ouster. Park sympathizers later staged their own rallies. Dozens of high-profile figures, including Park’s longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil, and Samsung’s de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, have been indicted along with Park.
