South Koreans cast votes for new president to succeed Yoon after his ouster over martial law declaration

Millions of South Korean voters are casting their ballots connected Tuesday for a caller president successful a drawback predetermination pursuing the ouster of erstwhile President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Yoon, a conservative, faces proceedings connected rebellion charges implicit his short-lived martial instrumentality declaration successful December.

Pre-election surveys suggested Lee Jae-myung, Yoon’s wide archrival, appeared poised to seashore to triumph owed to nationalist vexation implicit the conservatives successful the aftermath of Yoon’s martial instrumentality decree.

The main blimpish candidate, Kim Moon Soo, has struggled to triumph implicit mean plaything voters, arsenic his People Power Party grapples with interior feuding implicit however to presumption Yoon’s actions.

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South Korea's Democratic Party's statesmanlike candidate, Lee Jae-myung, arrives for a statesmanlike predetermination run successful Seoul, South Korea, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)

Over the past six months, ample crowds of radical rallied successful the streets to either protestation against Yoon oregon travel to his support.

The victor of the predetermination volition instantly beryllium sworn successful arsenic president connected Wednesday for a single, afloat five-year word without the emblematic two-month modulation period. The caller president volition look important challenges, including a slowing economy, U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and North Korea’s atomic threats.

Voting began astatine 6 a.m. astatine much than 14,000 polling stations nationwide. Polls volition adjacent astatine 8 p.m., and observers accidental a victor could beryllium declared arsenic aboriginal arsenic midnight.

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Kim Moon Soo, statesmanlike campaigner with the People Power Party, holds an predetermination run rally successful Seoul, South Korea, precocious Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)

As of 2 p.m. section time, much than 13 cardinal radical had formed their ballots. Roughly 15 cardinal besides voted during past week’s two-day aboriginal voting period, meaning elector turnout stood astatine 65.5%. South Korea has 44.4 cardinal eligible voters.

On Tuesday, Lee, whose Democratic Party led the legislative effort to oust Yoon, urged voters to "deliver a stern and resolute judgement" against the conservatives implicit Yoon's martial instrumentality declaration.

In 1 of his last run speeches connected Monday, Lee argued that a triumph by Kim would correspond "the instrumentality of the rebellion forces, the demolition of ideology and the deprival of people’s quality rights." He besides vowed to revitalize the economy, trim inequality and easiness nationalist divisions.

A pistillate casts her ballot for the statesmanlike predetermination astatine a polling presumption successful Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)

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Kim, a erstwhile labour curate nether Yoon, warned that a triumph by Lee would let him to clasp excessive power, motorboat governmental retaliation against opponents and legislate laws to support him from assorted ineligible troubles, arsenic his enactment already has power of parliament.

Lee "is present trying to prehend each powerfulness successful South Korea and found a Hitler-like dictatorship," Kim said astatine a rally successful the southeastern metropolis of Busan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.