SEOUL, South Korea – Exit
polls showed the two leading candidates in dead heat as voting ended on
Wednesday, March 9, in South Korea’s presidential election to decide
the country’s leader for the next five years.
Conservative Yoon
Suk-yeol, with 48.4%, was slightly ahead of liberal Lee Jae-myung, with 47.8%,
an exit poll jointly conducted by three television networks showed. Another
poll by broadcaster JTBC showed Lee ahead with 48.4%, to Yoon’s 47.7%.
The campaign was marked
by surprises, scandals, and smears, but the policy stakes are high for the
populace of 52 million.
The winning candidate
must tackle challenges such as the effects of South Korea’s worst wave of COVID-19
infections, growing inequality, and surging home prices while navigating an
increasingly tense rivalry between China and the United States.
Voters also seek a leader
who can root out graft and pursue negotiations to curb North Korea’s nuclear
ambitions.
Lee, the standard-bearer of the ruling Democratic Party, and Yoon, from the conservative main opposition People Power Party, are vying to succeed incumbent President Moon Jae-in, who is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection.
Source: Rappler.com