Presidential hopefuls make final pre-poll pitch to S.Korean voters

South Koreans will elect a new president on Tuesday to cap six months of turmoil triggered by a shock martial law briefly imposed by former leader Yoon Suk Yeol that marred the country's reputation as a vibrant, if at times chaotic, democracy.

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South Korea's leading presidential hopefuls crisscrossed the country on the final day of campaigning on Monday before converging on Seoul, vowing to revive an ailing economy and put months of turmoil over a failed martial law attempt behind them.

Tuesday's election was triggered by the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol after he briefly imposed martial law in December, stunning South Koreans who had come to believe the days of using the military to intervene in the democratic process were long past.

Liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung vowed to mend the social division that deepened in the aftermath of Yoon’s martial law, but said his opponent and Yoon's People Power Party must be held accountable, branding them “insurrection sympathisers.”