YONHAP NEWS

(5th LD) South Koreans likely to vote for CEO-turned candidate, end decade of liberal rule

   By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Koreans voted Wednesday in a presidential election expected to be won by a CEO-turned conservative candidate with a tough stance on North Korea, ending 10 years of rule by liberals.

   Lee Myung-bak of the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) who turned 66 on election day has led his rivals throughout the campaign by what appeared to be an insurmountable margin of support in opinion surveys. An upset seemed unlikely despite allegations that the front-runner was involved in a financial scam.

   "I want to thank our people who have protected me against so many negative attacks during the campaign," Lee said after voting near his Seoul home with his wife. "We should replace the government this time without fail."
If elected, he will be South Korea's first president with a business background, perhaps satisfying voters' yearning for economic growth. Lee is with playing a role in the economy's meteoric growth as CEO of Hyundai Construction and Engineering from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.

   Over the years, dissatisfaction with the Roh Moo-hyun administration grew because of economic problems and concerns about North Korea's nuclear ambitions. The gap between the rich and poor widened and real estate prices skyrocketed. The annual 4-5 percent growth of the world's 13th largest economy appeared slow to voters accustomed to much higher growth rates under authoritarian regimes.

   Lee was also a popular Seoul mayor who transformed the city's landscape with the restoration of a downtown stream.

   An administration led by Lee is expected to move closer to the White House and adopt a tougher stance on North Korea. He has criticized the Roh administration of pandering to the communist country with massive aid while the North develops nuclear weapons and neglects calls for an improved human rights situation.

   But unlike ultra-right wingers, Lee said he will continue humanitarian assistance and maintain dialogue.

   His closest rival, Chung Dong-young of the pro-government United New Democratic Party, called the election "a battle between truth and falsehood" in his final pitch to voters.

   "I ask you, the owners of this country, to hold my hand tight so that the truth can win," he said after voting with his wife.

   Voters trickled into 13,178 polling stations set up throughout the country. Voting began at 6 a.m. and will last for 12 hours. The results were expected to be known at around 9 p.m., according to the National Election Commission.

   President Roh Moo-hyun and his wife Kwon Yang-suk were among the early voters.

   "How are you?" Roh asked residents with a smile before casting his ballot in central Seoul. He shook hands with every election official around.

   "I picked a candidate who I believe is capable of reviving the economy in this difficult time," said Jeon Hong-geun, a 50-year-old resident in the southwestern city of Gwangju, a traditional stronghold of liberal voters.
Early in the day, a 65-year-old man collapsed in a polling station and died soon afterwards in hospital. The cause of his death was not immediately known.

   Despite Lee's huge lead, recent polls indicated that an increasing number of the nation's 37.6 million eligible voters were undecided. On the eve of the election, a controversial video clip was disclosed linking Lee to a company called BBK that was involved in an alleged 2001 massive stock manipulation fraud.

   Lee had previously claimed that he had no involvement with BBK whatsoever. The prosecution had cleared him of allegations of involvement in the scam on Dec. 5.

   However, the National Assembly voted to launch an independent inquiry into the allegations. Lee is expected to face the probe before he takes office on Feb. 25.

   A record number of 10 candidates are running this year, but only three of them are expected to garner double-digit ratings. Lee Hoi-chang, the conservative independent in his third bid for presidency, will likely come in a third place.

   The election watchdog predicts a record-low voter turnout, far below 70 percent. As of 3 p.m., 47.9 percent of voters had cast ballots, compared to 54.3 percent recorded at the same time during the 2002 presidential election.

   hkim@yna.co.kr
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