SEOUL, South Korea, June 2, (AP): After months of political turmoil, South Korea will elect a new president this week to succeed conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his brief but shocking imposition of martial law. Surveys suggested liberal Lee Jae-myung is heavily favored to win Tuesday's snap election, riding on a wave of public disappointment of Yoon’s martial law debacle in December.

The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, wants a come-from-behind victory, but observers say his refusal to directly criticize Yoon made it difficult for him to narrow the gap with Lee. The winner will be sworn in as president on Wednesday without the typical two-month transition period. The new leader faces the urgent tasks of trying to heal the deep domestic divide over Yoon's action as well as focusing on US President Donald Trump's America-first policy and North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. Lee, who represents the main liberal Democratic Party, is the favorite to win the elections.

In three Gallup Korea surveys released last week, 46% to 49% of respondents picked Lee as their choice for next president, giving him a comfortable lead over Kim with 35% to 37%. Lee narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, and spearheaded parliament’s two votes to overturn Yoon’s martial law decree and impeach him, before the Constitutional Court formally dismissed him in April.

Lee’s outspoken criticism of South Korea's conservative establishment and calls to punish those involved in Yoon's martial law enactment have caused worries among his opponents that Lee's election would further polarize the country. Kim, a former labor minister under Yoon, has fought an uphill battle against Lee as his People Power Party struggles to restore public confidence. Kim's opposition to Yoon's impeachment and reluctance to explicitly criticize the disgraced leader drove him away from moderate voters, analysts say.

Four other politicians are running for the presidency, including Lee Jun-seok of the small conservative New Reform Party, who has categorically rejected Kim's request to field a unified candidate between them to prevent a split in conservative votes. The election has got ugly, with candidates levelling damaging statements, personal attacks and even sexually offensive language against each other without unveiling clear, long-term vision for South Korea.

During last week's televised debate, Lee Jae-myung labelled Kim as "Yoon Suk Yeol’s avatar,” while Kim called Lee a "harbinger of monster politics and dictatorship.” Lee Jun-seok faced withering public criticism after he used graphic references to women’s bodies to criticize Lee Jae-myung's son over his purported sexually explicit online slur targeting a female singer.