Opposition Lee takes over in South Korea’s election

(MENAFN) Early vote tallies in South Korea’s snap presidential election revealed opposition contender Lee Jae-myung holding an advantage, as predicted by most exit polls.

According to reports, with 70.02% of ballots counted, Lee from the Democratic Party was leading with 48.51% of the votes, as noted by the national broadcaster. Other sources described Lee’s victory as “certain to win” the race.

His opponent, Kim Moon-soo from the ruling People Power Party, had garnered 42.96% of votes tallied thus far.

Voters in the East Asian nation headed to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new president following the ousting of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed after declaring martial law.

In his initial remarks before official results were announced, Lee expressed gratitude toward voters and pledged to “fulfill heavy responsibilities of people's expectations.”

Vote counting is still underway, with final results expected to take several hours. The official declaration of the next president is likely to happen by early Wednesday.

Polling places were open from 6 a.m. local time (2100GMT Monday) to 8 p.m. (1100GMT). Preliminary figures showed that voter turnout reached 79.4%—including early and overseas ballots—marking the highest participation rate in nearly three decades. The previous presidential election in 2022 had recorded a turnout of 77.1%.

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