SKoreans vote for president after martial law fallout

The Advertiser

4 days ago

South Koreans are heading to the polls to cast ballots in a snap presidential election triggered by the ouster of former conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition in December.
The election commission says voting began early on Tuesday at 14,295 polling stations nationwide.
Left-wing opposition leader Lee Jae Myung is the front-runner in the election, leading by a relatively clear margin in the latest polls, while conservative Kim Moon Soo is polling in second place.
The outcome of the election is sure to have a significant impact on the relations between South Korea - one of the world's leading industrial nations - and China, the United States and Europe.
Yoon declared martial law in early December after a budget dispute. He justified the radical move by claiming, among other things, that the left-wing opposition had been infiltrated by communist and anti-state forces. He did not provide any evidence for these allegations.
Yoon was removed from office in April and faces trial for high treason.
While the martial law status was deemed invalid in a parliamentary vote a few hours later, Yoon's removal left a prolonged power vacuum.
Some political observers warned that South Korean democracy was existentially threatened, and the country's economic growth slowed.
More than 15 million people already have cast ballots during a two-day early voting period last week, accounting for nearly 35 per cent of the country's 44.4 million eligible voters.
with dpa
South Koreans are heading to the polls to cast ballots in a snap presidential election triggered by the ouster of former conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition in December.
The election commission says voting began early on Tuesday at 14,295 polling stations nationwide.
Left-wing opposition leader Lee Jae Myung is the front-runner in the election, leading by a relatively clear margin in the latest polls, while conservative Kim Moon Soo is polling in second place.
The outcome of the election is sure to have a significant impact on the relations between South Korea - one of the world's leading industrial nations - and China, the United States and Europe.
Yoon declared martial law in early December after a budget dispute. He justified the radical move by claiming, among other things, that the left-wing opposition had been infiltrated by communist and anti-state forces. He did not provide any evidence for these allegations.
Yoon was removed from office in April and faces trial for high treason.
While the martial law status was deemed invalid in a parliamentary vote a few hours later, Yoon's removal left a prolonged power vacuum.
Some political observers warned that South Korean democracy was existentially threatened, and the country's economic growth slowed.
More than 15 million people already have cast ballots during a two-day early voting period last week, accounting for nearly 35 per cent of the country's 44.4 million eligible voters.
with dpa
South Koreans are heading to the polls to cast ballots in a snap presidential election triggered by the ouster of former conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition in December.
The election commission says voting began early on Tuesday at 14,295 polling stations nationwide.
Left-wing opposition leader Lee Jae Myung is the front-runner in the election, leading by a relatively clear margin in the latest polls, while conservative Kim Moon Soo is polling in second place.
The outcome of the election is sure to have a significant impact on the relations between South Korea - one of the world's leading industrial nations - and China, the United States and Europe.
Yoon declared martial law in early December after a budget dispute. He justified the radical move by claiming, among other things, that the left-wing opposition had been infiltrated by communist and anti-state forces. He did not provide any evidence for these allegations.
Yoon was removed from office in April and faces trial for high treason.
While the martial law status was deemed invalid in a parliamentary vote a few hours later, Yoon's removal left a prolonged power vacuum.
Some political observers warned that South Korean democracy was existentially threatened, and the country's economic growth slowed.
More than 15 million people already have cast ballots during a two-day early voting period last week, accounting for nearly 35 per cent of the country's 44.4 million eligible voters.
with dpa
South Koreans are heading to the polls to cast ballots in a snap presidential election triggered by the ouster of former conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition in December.
The election commission says voting began early on Tuesday at 14,295 polling stations nationwide.
Left-wing opposition leader Lee Jae Myung is the front-runner in the election, leading by a relatively clear margin in the latest polls, while conservative Kim Moon Soo is polling in second place.
The outcome of the election is sure to have a significant impact on the relations between South Korea - one of the world's leading industrial nations - and China, the United States and Europe.
Yoon declared martial law in early December after a budget dispute. He justified the radical move by claiming, among other things, that the left-wing opposition had been infiltrated by communist and anti-state forces. He did not provide any evidence for these allegations.
Yoon was removed from office in April and faces trial for high treason.
While the martial law status was deemed invalid in a parliamentary vote a few hours later, Yoon's removal left a prolonged power vacuum.
Some political observers warned that South Korean democracy was existentially threatened, and the country's economic growth slowed.
More than 15 million people already have cast ballots during a two-day early voting period last week, accounting for nearly 35 per cent of the country's 44.4 million eligible voters.
with dpa