Jamaine Punzalan

A man casts his vote at a polling station in Seoul during the presidential election on June 3, 2025. South Koreans began voting June 3rd for a new president, capping six months of political upheaval following ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous declaration of martial law. Pedro Pardo, AFP

Article (news)

Presidential election

Agence France-Presse

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1748910284506AFP__20250602__48YM4VQ__v1__Preview__PresidentialElection.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>A man casts his vote at a polling station in Seoul during the presidential election on June 3, 2025. South Koreans began voting June 3rd for a new president, capping six months of political upheaval following ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol&#x27;s disastrous declaration of martial law. Pedro Pardo, AFP</div>South Koreans began voting Tuesday for a new president, capping six months of political upheaval following ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol&#x27;s disastrous declaration of martial law.A handful of elderly voters lined up at a polling station in Seoul&#x27;s Munrae-dong area at 6:00 am (2100 GMT) to cast their ballots.&quot;We were the first to arrive with the hope our candidate gets elected, and because the presidential election is the most important,&quot; Yu Bun-dol, 80, told AFP, adding she was voting for the conservative People Power Party (PPP) candidate.Millions have already cast their ballots in the snap election, with more than a third of registered voters doing so last week during two days of early voting, the National Election Commission said.All major polls have put liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead, with the latest Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/5/29/lee-jae-myung-s-rise-from-poverty-to-brink-of-south-korean-presidency-1227">Lee Jae-myung&#x27;s rise from poverty to brink of South Korean presidency</a></div>Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative PPP -- Yoon&#x27;s former party -- trailed Lee on 35 percent.The fallout from <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/3/disbelief-outrage-at-south-korea-s-short-lived-martial-law-0730">martial law</a>, which has left South Korea effectively leaderless for the first months of US President Donald Trump&#x27;s second term, is the top concern for voters, experts said.&quot;Polls show the election is largely viewed as a referendum on the previous administration,&quot; Kang Joo-hyun, a political science professor at Sookmyung Women&#x27;s University, told AFP.&quot;What&#x27;s particularly striking is that the martial law and impeachment crisis not only swayed moderates but also fractured the conservative base.&quot;And analysts say that South Korea&#x27;s conservative party is in crisis.Yoon&#x27;s impeachment over a disastrous declaration of martial law, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament, made him the second straight conservative president to be stripped of office after Park Geun-hye in 2017.Conservative candidate Kim also failed to convince a third party candidate, Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party, to unify and avoid splitting the right-wing vote.<div> </div><div>&#x27;TURNING POINT&#x27; </div><div> </div>&quot;Conservative politics was associated with competent governance, but it&#x27;s now hard to argue that they remain capable,&quot; said Kang Won-taek, a political science professor at Seoul National University.Lee&#x27;s Democratic Party already holds a parliamentary majority and analysts say the fractured conservative base will struggle in opposition unless it can resolve its issues.South Korean presidents serve a single five-year term.With a regular presidential election, there is a months-long transition period, and the new leader&#x27;s term begins at midnight after the predecessor&#x27;s final day.But in a snap election, the winner becomes president as soon as the National Election Commission ratifies the vote tally.After months of turmoil and a revolving door of lame-duck acting leaders, many South Koreans are eager for the country to move forward.In Gwangju, spiritual heartland of the South Korean left, Jung Se-yoon, 65, a retired teacher, said the election was a &quot;turning point&quot;.&quot;It will take far too long for the country to get back on its feet if we miss this chance,&quot; Jung said.Experts said voter turnout was expected to be high.&quot;The focus won&#x27;t be on whether Lee will win, but on whether he will secure more than 50 percent of the vote,&quot; Bae Kang-hoon, co-founder of political think tank Valid.&quot;If he manages to do so, it would give him a significant boost in momentum to govern as president.&quot;

South Koreans began voting Tuesday for a new president, capping six months of political upheaval following ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous declaration of martial law.

South Koreans began voting Tuesday for a new president, capping six months of political upheaval following ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous declaration of martial law.

South Korea votes for new president after martial law turmoil

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South Korea votes for new president after martial law turmoil

Agence France-Presse

Published Jun 03, 2025 08:29 AM PHT

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