“RESTORE DEMOCRACY”
Whoever succeeds Yoon will have to grapple with a deepening economic downturn, some of the world’s lowest birth rates and a soaring cost of living.
He will also have to navigate a mounting superpower standoff between the United States, South Korea’s traditional security guarantor, and China, its largest trade partner.
But analysts see martial law as the defining issue in the presidential race.
Kang Joo-hyun, a political science professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, told AFP the high turnout “naturally reflects the public’s strong desire to restore democracy in South Korea”.
“Overseas Koreans … more than ever, felt compelled to make their voices heard through the ballot, driven by a sense that the very foundations of South Korea’s democracy were being shaken,” said Kang.
Lee lost his 2022 bid for the presidency to Yoon by one of the smallest margins in South Korean history, with one of the main debates becoming gender issues.
The former school dropout rose to political stardom partly by highlighting his humble beginnings.
He has vowed to “bring insurrection elements to justice” if elected president.
Seoul National University political science professor Kang Won-taek warned, however, that South Korea’s political woes were far from over.
“There is a real possibility that the political turmoil and crises we’ve seen could re-emerge,” said Kang.
Lee, the frontrunner, has been a “central figure in the polarisation that has fuelled much of the country’s political instability”, he said.
“Unless he adopts a markedly more inclusive approach to governance, there’s a strong chance that past conflicts will resurface.”
