Record voter turnout expected for South Korea’s presidential election
Seoul — South Koreans headed to voting stations on Tuesday to elect a new leader, with a potential record turnout suggesting voters are eager to move on from a corruption scandal that brought down the former president and shook the political and business elite. Unless there is a major upset, liberal Moon Jae-in — who calls for a moderate approach on North Korea, wants to reform powerful family-run conglomerates and boost fiscal spending to create jobs — will be elected president. The vote will end a months-long leadership vacuum. Former president Park Geun-hye was ousted on charges of bribery and abuse of power in March to become South Korea’s first democratically elected president to be thrown out of office. Park is in jail, on trial, but denies any wrongdoing. She had decided not to cast a vote, South Korean media reported. The National Election Commission (NEC) said voter turnout was at 59.9% by 2pm local time (5am GMT), exceeding the 52.6% turnout seen at the same time in the pr...
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