South Korean citizens are heading to the polls today to elect a new president following the removal of Yoon Suk Yeol from office.

Yoon, a member of the conservative party, is being tried on charges of insurrection related to his brief declaration of martial law in December.

Polls leading up to the election indicated that Lee Jae-myung, Yoon’s main liberal opponent, was likely to win due to widespread public discontent with conservatives after Yoon’s martial law announcement.

Kim Moon Soo, the primary conservative candidate, has struggled to attract moderate voters, as the People Power Party experiences internal conflict regarding their stance on Yoon’s actions.

For the past six months, large demonstrations have occurred both in support of and against Yoon.

The election winner will be immediately inaugurated on Wednesday, serving a single five-year term without the usual transition period. The incoming president will face considerable challenges, such as a weakening economy, tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, and nuclear threats.

Voting commenced at 6 a.m. at over 14,000 polling places nationwide and will end at 8 p.m. It is anticipated that a winner may be announced as early as midnight.

As of 2 p.m. local time, over 13 million votes had been cast. Approximately 15 million votes were also cast during the two-day early voting period last week, bringing the total turnout to 65.5%. South Korea has 44.4 million registered voters.

On Tuesday, Lee, whose Democratic Party spearheaded the legislative effort to impeach Yoon, urged voters to “deliver a stern and resolute judgement” against conservatives for Yoon’s martial law declaration.

In his final campaign address on Monday, Lee asserted that a victory for Kim would signify “the return of the rebellion forces, the destruction of democracy and the deprival of people’s human rights.” He also pledged to stimulate the economy, reduce inequality, and bridge national divides.

Kim, who previously served as labor minister under Yoon, cautioned that a Lee victory would grant him excessive power, enable him to pursue political retribution against rivals, and allow him to enact legislation to shield himself from legal issues, given his party’s existing control of the legislature.

Kim stated at a rally that Lee “is now trying to seize all power in South Korea and establish a Hitler-like dictatorship.”

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