SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Whoever wins South Korea’s presidential election Wednesday will face a bunch of main points, together with skyrocketing housing costs, threats from nuclear-armed North Korea and a debate about learn how to heal a nation sharply cut up alongside ideological, generational and gender traces.

This is what to know concerning the election for chief of the world’s Tenth-largest financial system.

The winner will take workplace on Could 10 for a single five-year time period. Present liberal President Moon Jae-in is barred by regulation from searching for reelection. The candidate who receives probably the most votes is asserted the winner, even when that particular person fails to attain majority assist.

The current election system was adopted in 1987 when South Korea’s then military-backed authorities caved to large pro-democracy protests and accepted sweeping liberalizing measures.

The election has boiled right down to a showdown between ruling liberal Democratic Celebration candidate, Lee Jae-myung, and his conservative opposition rival, Yoon Suk Yeol, from the Folks Energy Celebration. Each have been criticized for unfavourable campaigning and for not presenting long-term visions on learn how to lead South Korea.

Lee is a former governor of the populous Gyeonggi province that surrounds Seoul, whereas Yoon is a former prosecutor normal who entered occasion politics final yr.

About 44 million South Korean nationals aged 18 or older are eligible to vote, in another country’s inhabitants of about 52 million folks. About 16 million of them already solid ballots throughout early voting final week.

Individually, about 161,820 voters who’re residing overseas additionally already solid ballots at polling cubicles established at South Korean diplomatic services. Tens of 1000’s of others on distant islands, at nursing houses or on ships have been voting by mail or fax.

On Wednesday, polling stations are open from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Lee and Yoon have been bickering over North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal and an intensifying U.S.-China rivalry.

Lee, who has usually expressed nationalistic views, hopes to win exemptions from U.N. sanctions towards North Korea to revive stalled inter-Korean financial cooperation initiatives. He additionally believes Seoul may act as a mediator between Washington and Pyongyang to revive dormant nuclear diplomacy.

Yoon says he would search a stronger U.S. safety dedication to discourage North Korean aggression. He needs to launch preemptive strikes on the North if it shows indicators of assault.

Whereas Lee favors a balancing act between Washington and Beijing — Seoul’s chief safety ally and its greatest buying and selling companion, respectively — Yoon has made it clear {that a} boosted alliance with the USA can be the middle of his overseas coverage.

Each have promised to supply financial reduction to small enterprise homeowners hit by pandemic-related restrictions, present hundreds of thousands of public housing models all through the nation and to create extra jobs.

The mudslinging between Lee and Yoon entails loads of weird accusations concentrating on the candidates and their households.

Yoon’s spouse was pressured to apologize over suspicions that she falsified her work expertise when making use of for educating jobs at schools. Lee’s spouse additionally apologized over allegations that she privately used official funds and made public servants do her private errands whereas her husband served as a Gyeonggi governor.

Yoon has attacked Lee over allegations that Lee is a central determine in a corrupt property growth mission launched within the metropolis of Seongnam when he was mayor there. Lee and his allies have tried to hyperlink Yoon to that scandal and in addition accused the opposition candidate and his spouse of getting relied on shamanism, an historical spiritual perception, an excessive amount of.

Wednesday’s vote will happen as coronavirus infections surge. Virus sufferers and others positioned in quarantine are allowed to solid ballots when common voting closes at 6 p.m. They’re requested to vote at designated polling cubicles, whereas election employees can be outfitted with gloves, masks, face screens and protecting fits.

Arranging a voting course of for virus carriers was essential, with well being authorities quickly increasing at-home remedies to avoid wasting hospital sources. As of Monday, greater than 1.15 million folks with gentle or reasonable signs had been being requested to isolate at house.