Seoul, South Korea - After six hours of emergency martial law, hundreds of days of protests, violence in the Seoul court and the ultimate impeachment of President Yoon Suk-Yeol, now away from choosing a new leader, hoping to restore stability to a country that is not set.

From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday (11:00 GMT), South Koreans will largely be one of five presidential candidates led by Lee Jae-Myung of the opposition Democratic Party. Kim Moon-soo, the ruling BJP candidate, followed him in the polls.

The election is expected to involve 4.39 million qualified voters - either of these two top contenders is expected to replace the dollar. The former president, who was fired last week, attended his fifth court hearing, facing charges of leading uprising and abuse of power as he imposed martial law on December 3.

If convicted, Yin may face the highest penalty, or even be sentenced to death.

It is expected that elections will be at an all-time high in political turmoil amid the brief imposition of military domination, which still resonates in every corner of society and is split sharply along political boundaries. Some still support Yin and those who strongly oppose his martial law ruling.

Lee of the Democrats is currently a clear leader, with Gallup Korea's latest poll on May 28 putting his approval rating at 49%, while Kim Kim's 36% is a favorite.

Early votes ended Friday were the second highest voter turnout in the country’s history at 34.74%, while overseas votes from 118 countries hit a record 79.5%.

Lee Jae-Myung's second chance

In the last presidential election in 2022, Yoon barely eliminated Lee in the closest presidential election in South Korea’s history.

After a 2022 defeat of a voting turnout of just 0.73 percentage points, Lee now has another chance in the top office and redeems his political reputation.

About a month ago, South Korea's Supreme Court ruled that Lee spread falsehoods in a 2022 presidential bid for violating election laws.

In addition to surviving a series of bribery charges while he served as mayor of Zonghham and governor of Gonggiji Province, he claimed it was politically motivated and survived a stabbing in the neck at a press conference in Busan last year.

Fortunately for Lee, the court has agreed to postpone further hearings for his ongoing trial until after the election.

This time during the campaign, Lee spoke to his supporters from behind bulletproof glass, with the snipers placed on the roof, and the crowd scanned for the potential threat of the crowd as the Counter-Terrorism Forces patrol on foot.

His former rival, conservative MPs, also participated in Lee's campaign, who have publicly supported his campaign countless times in the past month, viewing him as a path to regaining political stability.

BJP candidate Kim was particularly hit when his parliamentary colleague Kim Sang-Wook rebelled from the party with Lee's Democratic Party in early May.

According to polls by Hankyoreh, South Korea's leading media, only 55% of Conservative voters who supported the Wong in the 2022 general election said they would support the BJP's KIM this time.

While this shift represents the crisis that mainstream Conservatives are facing after Yoon’s martial arts program and has been removed from the office, it also proves Lee’s appeal to moderate and conservative voters.

The future president faces a "heavy burden"

“The incidents of martial law, uprising attempts and improper processes have dealt a serious blow to our democracy,” said Lim Woon-Taek, a sociology professor at Kemison University, a former member of the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning.

"So the new president will bear a heavy burden when he takes the presidency," Lin said.

Youth unemployment, social inequality and climate change have also become urgent issues that the Yoon government has failed to address.

According to recent research, non-regulatory workers in South Korea, including contract employees and part-time workers, accounted for 38% of all wages and wage workers last year.

Lee has committed to advocating business-friendly policies and focusing on investments in research, development and artificial intelligence while avoiding focus on divisive social issues such as gender wars.

From the time he raised leftist ideas (such as general basic income), his position has changed a lot from the time his time went up to the political level.

The incident on the night the martial law was announced on December 3 also helped Lee’s image as a political freedom fighter. Lee, a former human rights lawyer, was broadcast live, and as the military surrounded the walls of the compound, he expanded the walls of the National Assembly, where he assembled legislators to vote and strike Yoon's decision to mobilize the army.

Lee's most central campaign commitment, he promised to bring those who brought to justice and strengthen control over the future president's ability to do the same. Lee also hopes to see a constitutional amendment that will allow the president to serve two four-year terms, which is changed from the current five-year period.

Although Lee's closest challenger Kim has reached an agreement on such policies and ensures distance from Yoon, the former laborist-turned-faith conservative also said the former president's improper momentum is too far away.

Trump, tariffs and a new direction for South Korea

When U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a series of tariffs on major exports such as South Korea, including steel, semiconductors and automobiles, the elections were also underway.

Faced with these threats, Lee promises to stimulate demand and growth, while King is expected to alleviate business regulations. King also highlighted his immediate summit meeting with Trump to discuss tariffs.

Lee, on the other hand, has promised a more pragmatic foreign policy agenda that will maintain ties with the U.S. government while also prioritizing “national interests” such as bridging closer ties with neighboring China and Russia.

On North Korea, Lee is determined to ease tensions that have risen to unprecedented heights in recent years, and Kim has pledged to build the country's military capabilities to resist Pyongyang and hopes to get stronger security support from the United States.

Lee also promised to move the National Assembly and the Presidential Office from Seoul to Sejong City, which will be designated as the country's new administrative capital, to continue the rebalancing process of urban planning, which has encountered a series of setbacks in recent years.

Keimyung University hopes future leaders will focus more on another major issue of climate conditions.

"Our country is considered a climate villain and if we do not address the direct impact of not limiting the amount of our dangerous output, we will face future export restrictions."

“The future of our country will really depend on this question: whether the next president will ask such questions, such as the previous administration, or whether it is directly trapped in the main problem that worsens our society.”

The results of the Tuesday vote are expected to appear later on Tuesday or early Wednesday morning.

In the 2022 general election, the winner was declared at 4:40 a.m. on Election Day at 4:40 a.m.

Lee was a clear leader in this election, and the results could be clearly seen as early as Tuesday night.

But this year’s increased surveillance at polling stations could be a factor slowing down any early announcements of the country’s next president due to concerns about miscalculation.