SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Koreans voted for a new president Wednesday, with the outspoken liberal ruling party candidate and the conservative former prosecutor as favorites in a tight race that has exacerbated internal divisions.
Election polls have shown liberal Lee Jae-myung, the former governor of South Korea’s most populous Gyeonggi province, and his main conservative rival, former Attorney General Yoon Seok-yeol, with full support, well ahead of 10 other contenders. . The winner will take office in May and serve one five-year term as the leader of the world’s 10th largest economy.
Lee and Yun have waged one of the most violent political campaigns in recent memory. Both have recently agreed that if they win, they will not conduct politically motivated investigations against the other, but many believe that the losing candidate may still face criminal investigations in connection with some of the scandals they are involved in.
Critics say neither candidate presented a clear strategy for how to reduce the threat from North Korea and its nuclear weapons. They also say voters are skeptical about how both countries will handle foreign relations in the face of US-China rivalry and how they will deal with growing economic inequality and skyrocketing home prices.
“Despite the importance of this year’s election, the election race has been too focused on negative agitation,” said Jang Seung-jin, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul, adding that none of the leading candidates presented a convincing plan for how they would lead South Korea. .
The election comes as South Korea grapples with the micromicron-driven COVID-19 surge. On Wednesday, South Korean health authorities reported 342,446 new cases of the virus, another record high.
After voting began at 6 a.m., masked voters stood in long lines at some polling stations before donning vinyl gloves or using hand sanitizers to vote. People infected with the coronavirus had to vote after the end of regular voting on Wednesday evening.
About 44 million South Koreans aged 18 and over are eligible to vote out of the country’s 52 million inhabitants. Nearly 16 million people voted in early voting last week. Turnout was over 60% in the seven hours before Wednesday’s vote, including early voting ballots, according to the National Electoral Commission.
Election officials said the vote count could take longer than usual due to extended voting times for COVID-19 patients and that a winner could not be determined until Thursday morning.
On the eve of the vote, Jung Eun-young, a 48-year-old Seoul resident, said she was tormented by the question of which candidate is the “lesser of two evils.”
“No one around me seems happy to vote for either Lee or Yoon,” she said. “We need a leader who is truly committed to improving the lives of working class citizens.”
While both Lee and Yoon have similar economic and welfare policies, they disagree on North Korea and other foreign policy issues.
Lee, who has often expressed nationalist views, is calling for exemptions from UN sanctions to revive dormant inter-Korean economic projects and hopes to mediate between Pyongyang and Washington to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis. Yoon, for his part, says he will respond harshly to North Korea’s provocations and will seek to strengthen trilateral security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo.
As for the confrontation between Washington, Seoul’s main military ally, and Beijing, its biggest trading partner, Li says that choosing a side would pose a big threat to South Korea’s security. Yun wants to prioritize strengthening the alliance with the United States.
Following the latest report on a ballistic missile launch by North Korea on Saturday, Yoon accused North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of trying to sway South Korea’s election results in favor of Lee.
“I would (teach) him some manners and make him fully come to his senses,” Yoon said at a rally near Seoul.
Lee wrote on Facebook that he would push for a diplomatic solution to North Korea’s nuclear tensions, but would not tolerate any action that would elicit hostility.
The South Korean constitution limits the presidential term to one five-year term, so Lee’s party colleague, President Moon Jae-in, cannot seek re-election. Moon came to power in 2017 after conservative President Park Geun-hye was impeached and removed from office over a major corruption scandal.
As conservatives were initially in decline after Park’s fall, Moon’s approval rating reached 83% at one point as he doggedly pursued reconciliation with North Korea and delved into the alleged corruption of past conservative leaders. He eventually faced a backlash as talks over North Korea’s nuclear program stalled and his anti-corruption campaign questioned justice.
Yoon was Moon’s attorney general but resigned and joined the opposition last year after infighting over Moon’s allied investigations. Yoon said these investigations were objective and principled, but Moon’s supporters said he was trying to obstruct the reform of Moon’s prosecutors and elevate his political status.
Yun’s critics also criticized him for his lack of experience in party politics, foreign policy, and other key government affairs. Yong replied that he would allow experienced officials to handle state affairs that required experience.
Lee, a former human rights lawyer who entered local politics in 2005, has earned a reputation as a tough, anti-elitist man who can get things done and bring order to establishment politics. But his opponents call him a dangerous populist who builds on divisiveness and demonizes opponents.
Yoon launched a political offensive against Lee over allegations that Lee was a key figure in a corrupt land development project launched in the city of Seongnam when he was mayor there. Lee tried to link Yoon to this scandal. Both their wives issued public apologies for separate scandals.
According to some experts, whoever wins is likely to fight to bridge the differences between conservatives and liberals.
“Both candidates failed to create their own distinctive images because they were consumed by party affiliation amid sectarian feuds, so the election race was dominated by negative campaigning,” said Shin Yul, a professor of political science at Myeongji University in Seoul. “Whoever wins will be given the important but difficult task of healing the divisions.”