South Korea votes for new president after failed martial law bid
1 day ago
4
Live Reporting
Edited by Ayeshea Perera with inputs from Jean Mackenzie, David Oh, Juna Moon, Shaimaa Khalil, Yuna Ku, Rachel Lee and Hyojong Kim in Seoul.
What do opinion polls say?published at 04:05 British Summer Time
04:05 BST
Lee Jae-myung entered the race with overwhelming popularity. Right after the presidential nominees were finalised on 11 May, an opinion poll showed that he had support from 51% of South Koreans.
The same survey, held by research company Gallup Korea, put Kim Moon-soo at 31% and Lee Joon-seok at 8%.
But since then, the edge that Lee holds over his main rival has waned. Another Gallup Korea poll conducted last week, puts support for Lee at 45% - while Kim is closing the gap with 36%.
If polls are anything to go by, this race is shaping up to be far from tight. Lee still holds a very comfortable lead over Kim.
Nowhere too obscure to be a polling station...published at 03:50 British Summer Time
03:50 BST
We're getting some images showing the many faces of South Korean polling stations: including baseball stadiums, barbecue restaurants and car dealerships.
Image source, News1
Image caption,
This baseball stadium doubled up as a polling station
Image source, News1
Image caption,
Order up: barbecue and ballot boxes
Image source, News1
Image caption,
People line up to vote at a polling station in a South Korean car dealership
Image source, News1
Image caption,
Democracy day care: voters cast their ballot at a day care centre
'The nation feels divided', voter tells BBCpublished at 03:37 British Summer Time
03:37 BST
Image source, BBC / Rachel Lee
Image caption,
Yoo Jae-woo voted in Seoul
Yoo Jae Woo, who voted in Seoul, told the BBC that "no matter who becomes president, the country needs stability".
"The new leader must avoid extreme polarisation and focus on running the country responsibly. Right now, the nation feels deeply divided, and that’s why harmony must come first."
"We need to feel united, as one. I don’t want to reveal who I voted for, but one thing I can say for sure: we need a leader who won’t divide the country any further."
The polarised country Yoon has left behindpublished at 03:24 British Summer Time
03:24 BST
Image source, Getty Images
Whoever wins the presidential race today will have to lead South Koreans through a widening political divide - triggered by Yoon's tumultuous last days in office.
Since his shock martial law move, former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been removed from office and faces insurrection charges.
And although thousands took to the streets, calling for his arrest and removal, his supporters believe Yoon is a victim of election fraud, and that his martial law declaration was meant to protect the country from a malicious opposition.
These narratives, fuelled by right-wing YouTubers, have led to an increasingly extreme pro-Yoon movement. People have staged protests, stormed a courthouse and even set themselves on fire for the cause.
This new trend of violence has surprised and created rifts within conservatives themselves.
Impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol casts ballotpublished at 03:12 British Summer Time
03:12 BST
Image source, EPA
Image caption,
Yoon Suk-yeol voted in Seoul alongside his wife
South Korea's impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol has cast his ballot alongside his wife at a polling station in Seocho Ward, Seoul.
Yoon was formally impeached in April after the country's Constitutional Court upheld a parliament vote to remove him from office after his failed to bid to declare martial law threw the country into political turmoil.
Turnout so far higher than in 2022published at 03:04 British Summer Time
03:04 BST
Image source, Reuters
Voter reached 13.5% as of 10:00 local time (02:00 BST), 1.7% higher than from the same time at the last election in 2022, according to South Korea's Election Commission.
Experts still say the final turnout could be lower, as early voting was lower than at the previous election.
Turnout at South Korea's last two presidential elections was 77%.
Who will win? South Korea's shamans are dividedpublished at 02:55 British Summer Time
02:55 BST
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Shaman Yang Su-bong says Lee is the winner that appeared in her visions "years go", but some fellow shamans think otherwise
Many South Koreans, including politicians, often go to shamans for spiritual advice and to predict their futures.
But the outcome of the presidential election appears to be a hard nut to crack even for them.
Shamans interviewed by the AFP news agency do not appear to agree on who the country's next leader will be. Yang Su-bong says frontrunner Lee Jae-myung is the winner who appeared in her visions "years ago", but another shaman, Lee Dong-hyeon says he is not so sure.
Hong Myeong-hui, a fellow shaman, acknowledges Kim Moon-soo's "quiet fire" in contrast with Lee's "fast and consuming" fire.
Shamanism has seen a revival in South Korea in recent years, but the folk religion has also come under the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Ousted President Yoon for instance reportedly turned to a controversial shaman, who is under investigation for corruption, for political advice.
Who is Lee Jun-seok?published at 02:35 British Summer Time
02:35 BST
Image source, Getty Images
Lee Jun-seok, the youngest of the five candidates running for president on Tuesday, has been especially popular with many young men for his anti-feminist views.
Last week, the 40-year-old drew swift outrage over a sexually explicit comment made during a presidential debate, in which he asked if "sticking chopsticks in women's genitals or some place like that" is misogynistic.
Lee is a Harvard graduate who at one point served as the youngest ever chair of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's People Power Party. He broke away to found the Reform Party in January last year.
The legal cloud over Lee Jae-myung's candidacypublished at 02:19 British Summer Time
02:19 BST
Image source, Getty Images
Presidential frontrunner Lee Jae-myung faces several criminal charges for which trials have been postponed until after the presidential election.
Among them are allegations that he has violated election laws by denying his ties with someone at the centre of a land corruption scandal in 2021. He has also been charged with forcing a witness to give false testimony during a 2019 trial.
These cases have cast doubt on Lee's candidacy.
If he is convicted, Lee could be asked to step down if he wins the election, according to The Chosun Daily. His Democratic Party maintains that the trials must be suspended if he becomes president.
Watch: To vote or not to vote? South Korea’s 'dilemma' electionpublished at 02:03 British Summer Time
02:03 BST
In South Korea's presidential election, the question is more about who people don'twant to see in office, rather than who they do, BBC Korea's Rachel Lee reports.
She takes to the streets of Seoul to ask members of the public if they're planning to vote - see their responses below.
Who is Kim Moon-soo?published at 01:53 British Summer Time
01:53 BST
Image source, Getty Images
The ruling People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo may be the second-most popular candidate this election, but opinion polls suggest that he might still be a long way from garnering the same level of support as Democratic Party frontrunner Lee Jae-myung.
A former labour activist during the dictatorship of the '70s and '80s, he was arrested and sentenced to more than two years in prison for leading anti-state protests.
In the '90s he started his political career in the conservative camp, and has since steadily climbed the ranks in the People Power Party.
He was appointed as labour minister in Yoon Suk Yeol's government in 2024.
Kim's ascent to the ticket has proven controversial to his own party members.
At one point, Kim's nomination was cancelled by the party - its leadership had tried to replace him with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, whom they saw as a more competitive candidate.
Kim decried it as a "political coup" and the party ultimately decided to stick with him.
'What we need most is stability', voter tells BBCpublished at 01:36 British Summer Time
01:36 BST
Image source, BBC / Rachel Lee
Image caption,
Kwon Soon-oh voted in Seoul
Our BBC colleagues have been speaking to Kwon Soon-oh, who voted this morning in Seoul.
Here's what she told us about how she decided on her vote:
"I was contemplating until the moment I voted.
It was really hard to make up my mind. I could have voted early, but I wasn’t ready yet.
We're living in a very unstable time, and what we need most is stability. I truly hope the next leader focuses on uniting people instead of causing more division.
When society is polarized, it’s hard to get anything meaningful done. Everything good starts with harmony.
I’ve met many people who said they wouldn’t vote this time because the decision is so difficult. I still believe it's especially important to vote in moments like this.
But at the same time, I understand those who feel too unsure to make that choice right now."
Record number of voters registeredpublished at 01:20 British Summer Time
01:20 BST
Image source, Reuters
According to South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC), a record 44,391,871 people - including 258,254 overseas voters - are registered for the country's 21st presidential election.
That's 194,179 more eligible voters than in the 2022 presidential election.
Despite South Korea's declining population, the number of eligible voters continues to grow, largely due to an aging population.
In this election, the largest age group is voters in their 50s, totalling 8,683,369, or 19.6%.
They're followed by those in their 60s (17.7%), 40s (17.2%) and 70s and older (15.4%).
Watch: Three things to know about the South Korean election in 70 secondspublished at 01:19 British Summer Time
01:19 BST
Media caption,
Three things to know about South Korea's snap presidential election
The BBC's South Korea correspondent Jean Mackenzie explains what you need to know about the main presidential candidates - and the challenges they'll face if elected.
Who is Lee Jae-myung?published at 01:03 British Summer Time
01:03 BST
Gavin Butler & Yuna Ku in Singapore and Seoul
Image source, Getty Images
Before the tumultuous events of 3 December 2024, Lee Jae–myung's path to South Korea's presidency was littered with obstacles.
Ongoing legal cases, investigations for corruption and allegations of abusing power all looked set to derail the former opposition leader's second presidential bid.
Then former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, tried to invoke martial law - setting in motion a series of events that have apparently cleared the path for Lee, who was his main rival.
Polls have suggested that Lee, the Democratic Party candidate, is the frontrunner to win this election.
Almost 30,000 police deployed to polling booths - Yonhappublished at 00:43 British Summer Time 3 June
00:43 BST 3 June
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Police will be stationed across 14,295 polling booths in South Korea, according to the country's police agency
Almost 30,000 police have been deployed to thousands of polling booths across South Korea as the nation votes for its next president, the Yonhap South Korean media agency reports.
A total of 28,950 police have been deployed since 06:00 local time (22:00 BST) when polling booths opened, Yonhap says, citing the Korean National Police Agency.
Authorities will maintain the highest level of emergency security - which means all police personnel can be mobilised - until the new president enters office, Yonhap says.
The toughest decision I've ever made at the pollspublished at 00:18 British Summer Time 3 June
00:18 BST 3 June
David Oh BBC Korean Service, reporting from Paju
Image source, BBC / David Oh
Image caption,
People lining up at a polling station in Paju, South Korea
I've just cast my vote early this morning - and I admit it was the toughest decision I've ever had to make at the polls.
I won't say who I voted for, but I can say it wasn't easy.
Since former President Yoon Suk Yeol's ill-fated martial law bid in December, South Korea has been in a state of political upheaval. Exactly six months have passed, yet the air still feels heavy with uncertainty, and tensions remain deep.
For many, this snap presidential election isn't just about politics - it's about change.
People are hoping the next leader can help heal the nation and bridge the divide in a society that feels more polarised than ever. With implications for South Korea's democratic future, this vote carries so much weight.
The five men vying for the presidencypublished at 23:56 British Summer Time 2 June
23:56 BST 2 June
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Lee Jae-myung (top left), Lee Jun-seok (top right), Kwon Young-guk (bottom left), Kim Moon-soo (bottom second from right) and Song Jin-ho (bottom right) and the five who remain in the running
A month ago, there were seven men vying for South Korea's top job - just five of them remain in the running today.
Opinion polls have suggested that Lee Jae-myung,
of the opposition liberal Democratic Party, could be the frontrunner,
followed by Kim Moon-soo, from former President Yoon Suk Yeol's conservative People Power Party.
Lee, who lost to Yoon by a
razor-thin margin in 2022, has promised to establish a "Real Republic of Korea" with jobs and
a fair society.
Kim, a former labour minister,
has positioned himself as a president for the economy, promising the creation
of a business-friendly environment and job creation.
The other three candidates include Lee
Jun-seok of the New Reform Party, who has been popular with young men for his anti-feminist views, former rights lawyer Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party, and businessmen Song Jin-ho, who is contesting as an independent candidate.
For the first time in 18 years, there is no woman running for president.
Voting is underwaypublished at 23:37 British Summer Time 2 June
23:37 BST 2 June
The first photos from polling stations across South Korea are now coming in.
These are from the capital, Seoul, as voters cast their ballots for the country's next president.
Image source, EPA
Image caption,
An elderly woman casts her ballot in Seoul, South Korea
Image source, EPA
Image caption,
A queue of people wait to cast their ballot in Seoul, South Korea
Image source, EPA
Image caption,
A man leaves a voting booth in Seoul, South Korea
On this day six months ago...published at 23:27 British Summer Time 2 June
23:27 BST 2 June
Image source, Getty Images
It was on this day six months ago that former President Yoon Suk Yeol made a shock martial law declaration and threw South Korea into unprecedented political chaos.
Yoon's decree may have been short-lived - it was quickly voted down by lawmakers, many of whom jumped fences to get into the heavily-guarded National Assembly - but it has left the country more polarised than ever and its politics more violent.
.png)
1 day ago
4
Image source, News1
Image source, News1
Image source, News1
Image source, News1
Image source, BBC / Rachel Lee
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, EPA
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, BBC / Rachel Lee
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
David Oh
Image source, BBC / David Oh
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, EPA
Image source, EPA
Image source, EPA
Image source, Getty Images
