Both Lee and conservative Kim pledged change for a country deeply scarred by a shock martial law briefly imposed by former leader Yoon Suk Yeol.

South Korea’s liberal opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung was expected to win an early presidential election on Tuesday.

Kim Moon-soo, the conservative People Power Party’s presidential candidate, conceded defeat in the early hours of June 4, acknowledging the voters’ decision and congratulating his rival, Lee Jae-myung.