Exit Polls Show South Korea's Lee on Track to Win Presidency by Landslide

Nearly 80% of South Korea's 44.4 million eligible voters participated in one of the highest presidential poll turnouts

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South Korea's liberal opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung was expected to win a snap presidential election Tuesday, a joint exit poll and ongoing vote counts suggested. The victory would cap months of political turmoil triggered by the stunning but brief imposition of martial law by now-ousted conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol.

It was unclear whether Lee's election would cause any major, immediate shift in South Korea's foreign policy. Lee, previously accused by critics of tilting toward China and North Korea and away from the U.S. and Japan, has repeatedly stressed South Korea's alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of its foreign policy.

The toughest external challenges awaiting a new president are U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy and North Korea's advancing nuclear program. But experts say whoever becomes president in South Korea cannot do much to secure major progress in South Korea's favor on those issues.

With more than 31% of ballots counted as of 11:15 p.m., Lee, the Democratic Party candidate, led with more than 48% of votes, trailed by main conservative candidate Kim Moon Soo with 43%.