1 of 6 | A voter enters the voting booth at a polling location in the Seoul neighborhood Mullae on Tuesday. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
SEOUL, June 3 (UPI) -- South Koreans headed to the polls in record numbers on Tuesday to vote for a new president exactly six months after a botched martial law decree by impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol unleashed political turmoil and deepened divisions in the country.
As of 6:00 p.m., some 33.8 million voters had cast a ballot, reaching a record-breaking 76.1% of South Korea's 44.4 million eligible voters, according to the National Election Commission. The figure was the highest during the same period since South Korea began holding direct elections in 1987.
Interest in the race has remained sky-high since a snap election was called after Yoon's removal from office in April. Most polls have shown liberal Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung holding a commanding lead over the conservative People Power Party's Kim Moon-soo, with a Gallup Korea survey last week giving Lee an edge of 49% to 35%.
Polls close at 8 p.m. and a winner is expected to be announced around midnight, although the vote counting is expected to continue until early Wednesday morning, the NEC said. The winner's inauguration will be held within hours, without the typical two-month transition period due to Yoon's removal.
