South Koreans rally for candidates ahead of vote

Thousands of supporters of South Korea's two leading presidential candidates rallied in Seoul on Saturday, three days before a vote triggered by the ex-leader’s disastrous declaration of martial law.

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Tuesday's election caps months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office.

All major polls have put liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead in the presidential race, with a recent Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate.

Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) that Yoon left this month, trailed Lee on 35 percent.

Organisers from both camps told police they expected tens of thousands of supporters to rally in Seoul on Saturday.

In Seocho, in the south of the capital, Lee supporters gathered holding signs condemning Yoon’s “insurrection.”

“I believe the outcome of the presidential election is already decided,” Lee Kyung-joon, a Lee supporter, said.

“I came to today’s rally to help condemn the forces involved in the martial law attempt,” he said, referring to ex-president Yoon's political allies.

Yoon is on trial for insurrection and Kwon Oh-hyeok, one of the organisers of Saturday's rally, said a Lee Jae-myung victory in Tuesday's vote was crucial to holding him accountable.