SEOUL – Liberal politician Moon Jae-in decisively won South Korea’s presidential election on Tuesday, an exit poll showed, an expected victory that would end nearly a decade of conservative rule and bring a more conciliatory approach toward North Korea.

Moon’s victory would end months of political turmoil that led to parliament’s impeachment of conservative former President Park Geun-hye over an extensive corruption scandal, which a court upheld in March. Park became the first democratically elected leader in South Korea to be removed from office, triggering a snap election to choose her successor.

Climbing a temporary stage set up in the main square in downtown Seoul, a beaming Moon surrounded by his Democratic Party leaders, vowed to usher in a new era for a country badly bruised by the scandal.

“I will make a just, united country,” he told a crowd gathered at midnight to see the former human rights lawyer who entered politics just five years ago. “I will be a president who also serves all the people who did not support me.”

South Korea’s president-elect Moon Jae-in speaks to supporters at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, May 9, 2017. (Photo: Seo Myeong-gon /Yonhap via Reuters)

With 48 percent of the votes counted at 1535 GMT, Moon was ahead with 39.6 percent, according to the National Election Commission. A conservative challenger, former prosecutor Hong Joon-pyo, was next with 26.3 percent followed by centrist candidate Ahn Cheol-soo with 21.3 percent.

A plurality of votes is enough for victory.

The results were in line with an exit poll by South Korea’s three biggest broadcasters, which showed Moon, 64, capturing 41.4 percent of the votes in a field of 13 candidates.

“If exit polls are true, I will accept the results and just be satisfied with the fact that the Liberty Korea Party will be restored,” a downcast Hong told members of his conservative party.

Ahn said he would “humbly accept” the result.

Voter turnout was 77.2 percent, the highest in 20 years, but short of the expected 80 percent mark, as voters headed to the polls in drizzly weather.

Supporters of presidential candidate Moon Jae-in watch a television broadcast of the presidential election exit polls result in Seoul, South Korea May 9, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

FRACTURED PARLIAMENT

Moon is expected to be sworn in for a five-year term later on Wednesday. He has said he would skip a lavish inauguration ceremony and start work straight away.

He is likely to quickly name a prime minister, who will need parliamentary approval. The main cabinet posts, including national security and finance ministers, do not need parliamentary confirmation.

Moon, who narrowly lost to Park in the last presidential election, in 2012, favours dialogue with North Korea to ease rising tension over its accelerating nuclear and missile programme. He also wants to reform powerful family-run conglomerates, such as Samsung and Hyundai, and boost fiscal spending to create jobs.

Moon has criticised the two previous conservative governments for failing to stop North Korea’s weapons development. He advocates a two-track policy of seeking dialogue with the North while maintaining pressure and sanctions to encourage change.

His Democratic Party holds 40 percent of the single-chamber, 299-seat assembly, which will means he will have to build coalitions to pass legislation.

His victory was bolstered by strong support from younger people, according to the exit polls. Many of his supporters participated in big, peaceful weekend rallies over the last few months of 2016 and early this year, demanding Park step down.

Only 22-25 percent of people in their 60s and 70s voted for Moon, exit polls showed, underscoring a long-standing generation gap. Many older people are wary of Moon’s less confrontational stance on North Korea.

– Reuters