[Source: Reuters]

South Koreans will elect a new president on Tuesday to cap six months of turmoil triggered by a shock martial law briefly imposed by former leader Yoon Suk Yeol that marred the country’s reputation as a vibrant, if at times chaotic, democracy.

The new leader will face the challenge of rallying a society deeply scarred by the attempt at military rule and an export-heavy economy reeling from unpredictable protectionist moves by the United States, a major trading partner and a security ally.

Turnout is expected to be high with polls opening at 6 a.m. (2100 GMT Monday) and voting allowed until 8 p.m. following early voting on Thursday and Friday when more than a third of the 44.39 million eligible voters cast their ballots.

As of 7 a.m., 1.08 million people, or 2.4% of the electorate, had voted at 14,295 polling stations around the country, according to the National Election Commission.

Leading candidates ended three weeks of official campaigning late on Monday, crisscrossing the country before converging on Seoul for final rallies, as they vowed to put months of turmoil behind them and breathe new life into an ailing economy.

Both liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung and his conservative rival Kim Moon-soo have pledged change for the country, saying a political system and economic model set up during its rise as a budding democracy and industrial power are no longer fit for purpose.

Their proposals for investment in innovation and technology often overlap, but Lee advocates more equity and help for mid-to-low-income families while Kim has campaigned on giving businesses more freedom from regulations and labour strife.

Overshadowing any economic or social policy initiatives, however, is Yoon’s botched attempt to impose martial law that has loomed large over the poll.

Lee has called the election “judgment day” against Kim and his People Power Party accusing them of having condoned the martial law attempt by not fighting harder to thwart it and even trying to save Yoon’s presidency.

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