Election Today Could Result in Leader With Closer U.S. Ties

By HYUNG-JIN KIM

By Hyung-Jin Kim

The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea

South Koreans voted for a new president today in an election widely expected to end a decade of liberal rule – if the nation can overlook a scandal that has tainted the front-runner.

Lee Myung-bak of the conservative Grand National Party, who has pledged to be a business-friendly leader who will boost the economy, has led in opinion polls throughout the race by large margins. A former Hyundai CEO and Seoul mayor, he has also said he would take a more critical view of Seoul’s engagement with rival North Korea while seeking closer U.S. ties.

Days before the vote, though, parliament voted to authorize an independent counsel investigation of Lee in a stock manipulation case in which prosecutors had already cleared him of wrongdoing. The inquiry is to be completed before the Feb. 25 inauguration, and Lee has said he would step aside from the presidency if found at fault.

Some 37 million people in this country of 49 million are eligible to cast ballots. Election turnout was expected to hit a record low largely because of increasing public apathy over politics and the lopsided contest that has been dominated by Lee.

Voters were focused on the economy because of concern over sky- high real estate prices, soaring unemployment, and a widening gap between rich and poor.

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