Following the unprecedented removal of Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korean voters are heading to the polls in a snap election to select a new president, precipitated by Yoon's trial for sedition following a brief invocation of martial law; Lee Jae-myung, the liberal candidate, is widely tipped to capitalise on discontent with the conservative establishment and secure victory, although the election takes place amidst profound societal fragmentation, potentially burdening the incoming president with an intractable mandate. The new incumbent will be immediately inaugurated, commencing a five-year term fraught with challenges, including a decelerating economy, the resurgence of Trumpian "America First" protectionism, and the persistent nuclear brinkmanship of North Korea; pre-election polling suggests a likely triumph for Lee, who has campaigned on a platform critical of the conservative order and advocating a more assertive foreign policy posture, yet his detractors decry him as a dangerously opportunistic populist prone to reneging on his pledges.