South Korea's liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung is projected to win the country's snap presidential election, according to a joint exit poll by broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS on Tuesday.
The results, which are not verified independently, put Lee at 51.7 percent and his conservative rival Kim Moon-soo at 39.3 percent, though the exit poll has in previous elections mostly been in line with the final results.
South Koreans headed to the polls to cast ballots in a snap presidential election triggered by the ouster of former conservative leader Yoon Suk-yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.
The voting began at 6 am on Tuesday at 14,295 polling stations nationwide and closed at 8 pm.
Hours before the voting began at 6 am local time, the candidates made their final sprint to gain voters a day ahead of the election, Yonhap News reported.
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party and ruling People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo converged on the capital Seoul in their final push to shore up last-minute support.
Frontrunner Lee wrapped up his campaign in Seoul with a major rally in Yeouido Park, where tens of thousands of his supporters gathered, waving blue balloons.
Recalling the December 3 martial law declaration, he called on voters “to end the insurrection through voting”.
He added: “Voting, the ultimate weapon of those who hold sovereignty, is the most powerful weapon to end insurrection,” stressing that “voting is mightier than bullets”.
The latest poll showed Lee, 61, a human rights lawyer-turned-politician, in the lead with 49.2 percent, followed by Kim, 73, a former labour minister, with 36.8 percent.
Lee Jun-seok of the conservative New Reform Party is in third place with 10.3 percent.
The snap presidential election was triggered by the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his abortive bid to invoke martial law last December.
South Koreans living overseas have already cast their votes during a two-day early voting period that took place last week.
According to the National Election Commission, some 44.4 million people in the country of 52 million are eligible to vote.
