South Korea's opposition leader likely to be next President, exit poll shows

After months of political turmoil in South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, the center-left candidate, is predicted to win the presidential election by a wide margin Tuesday, according to the results of an exit poll conducted by the country's three main television stations.

Lee's campaign has ridden a wave of anger against former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his right-wing People Power Party, after Yoon tried to seize the opposition-controlled National Assembly by military force during his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

The exit poll predicted that Lee, the candidate for the Democratic Party, the country's largest, would win by a margin of 12 percentage points. The poll asked 80,000 people whom they voted for, and 51.7% of them said they chose Lee. That compared with 39.3% for his main rival, Kim Moon-soo, who represents the People Power Party. Lee Jun-seok, a minor-party candidate, won 7.7%, according to the poll.

The results of the exit poll were announced shortly after voting concluded at 8 p.m. local time. In recent decades, exit polls have correctly predicted the winners of South Korean presidential elections.

The winner takes office the moment the National Election Commission declares one. An announcement is expected Wednesday morning local time. If elected, Lee would take office as one of the most powerful South Korean presidents in recent decades. His party also holds a majority in the National Assembly, the legislature.

South Koreans turned out in large numbers to vote in an election whose winner will face daunting challenges, including trying to fix a sputtering domestic economy and navigating tensions between the United States, a key ally, and China.

Lee has pledged to heal his deeply polarized country and boost its economy. He has also championed more balanced diplomacy, promising to mend strained relations with ​China and North Korea while maintaining the alliance with the United States as the bedrock of national security.

Kim has said that if he wins, he is likely to continue Yoon's foreign policy, which focused on strengthening ties with the United States and Japan at the cost of antagonizing North Korea and China.

If Lee wins, analysts say, uncertainty will hang over his leadership. He has been standing trial on several criminal charges that he has called politically motivated. There is a dispute over whether the trials should be suspended until after his five-year term if he takes office.

Here's what else to know:

-- Voter participation: Turnout surpassed 79%, according to the National Election Commission, the highest turnout since 1997.

-- Yoon's impeachment: After his imposition of martial law, Yoon was impeached by the Assembly​ and in April was formally expelled from office by the Constitutional Court, opening the way for Tuesday's election.

-- Deep divisions: South ​Koreans are more divided than ever. All candidates had called for "national unity," recognizing a deepening political polarization as one of the biggest challenges the country faces. But during the campaign, they indulged in ​stoking fear and indignation against each other.