Exit poll shows liberal candidate Lee forecast to win South Korean election
The poll comes two months after his rival and then-conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his short-lived imposition of martial law.
The exit poll by South Korea's three major TV stations – KBS, MBC and SBS – showed Mr Lee projected to obtain 51.7% of the total votes cast, beating conservative candidate Kim Moon Soo on 39.3%.
Pre-election surveys also suggested Mr Lee appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Mr Yoon's martial law debacle.
Yoon Suk Yeol (Kim Do-hun/Yonhap via AP)
Mr Kim has struggled to win over moderate, swing voters as his People Power Party remains in a quagmire of internal feuding over how to view Mr Yoon's actions.
The election serves as another defining moment in the country's resilient democracy, but observers worry a domestic divide worsened after Mr Yoon's martial law stunt is far from over and could pose a big political burden on the new president.
The past six months saw large crowds of people rallying in the streets to either denounce or support Mr Yoon, while a leadership vacuum caused by Mr Yoon's impeachment and ensuing formal dismissal rattled the country's high-level diplomatic activities and financial markets.
The winning candidate will immediately be sworn in as president on Wednesday for a single, full term of five years without the typical two-month transition period.
The new president will face major challenges including a slowing economy, US president Donald Trump's America-first policies and North Korea's evolving nuclear threats.
Voting began at 6am local time at 14,295 polling stations nationwide, with polls closing at 8pm. Observers say the winner could be announced as early as midnight.
More than 19 million people had cast their ballots, according to the National Election Commission's tally as of 8.20pm. Combined with the 15 million who voted during last week's two-day early voting period, voter turnout stood at 78.4%. South Korea has 44.4 million eligible voters.
In a Facebook posting on Tuesday, Mr Lee, whose Democratic Party led the legislative effort to oust Mr Yoon, called for voters to 'deliver a stern and resolute judgment' against the conservatives over martial law.
Kim Moon Soo (Lee Jin-man/AP)
In one of his final campaign speeches on Monday, Mr Lee argued that a win by Mr Kim would mean the 'the return of the rebellion forces, the destruction of democracy and the deprival of people's human rights'.
He also promised to revitalise the economy, reduce inequality and ease national divisions.
Mr Kim, a former labour minister under Mr Yoon, warned that a Lee win would allow him to wield excessive power, launch political retaliation against opponents and legislate laws to protect him from various legal troubles, as his party already controls parliament.
Mr Lee 'is now trying to seize all power in South Korea and establish a Hitler-like dictatorship,' Mr Kim told a rally in the south-eastern city of Busan.
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