The winner of the election is expected to be known early Wednesday
On the eve of South Korea’s election to choose a successor to ousted president Park Geun-hye, the candidates on Monday made last-ditch efforts to sway voters. The latest voter surveys show Moon Jae-in of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea maintaining a solid lead over his two main rivals with some 35-40 per cent of support. The polls show Ahn Cheol-soo of the centrist People’s Party and Hong Joon-pyo of the conservative Liberty Korea Party in a neck-and-neck race for second place. Tuesday’s snap election is being held seven months earlier than originally scheduled because of Park’s impeachment. Park, who was the country’s first female leader, was imprisoned in March after being thrown out of office over a corruption and abuse-of-power scandal. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who has been serving concurrently as acting president since Park’s impeachment by parliament in December, decided not to run in the election. Voting stations nationwide will be open for the country’s 42 million eligible voters from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The winner of the election is expected to be known in the early hours of Wednesday. The winner will be sworn in as the new president for a full five-year term immediately, without going through a transition period for two months. South Korea has adopted an early-voting system for those unable to go to the polls.
