South Koreans head to the polls to choose a new president Tuesday amid concerns about the economy, corruption and their relationship with North Korea.
The hasty election comes after Park Geun-hye, the country's first female president, was impeached in a corruption scandal that allegedly connected her to business giants Samsung and the Lotte Group.
Many voters say they're angry at Park -- once known as the "people's princess" -- and are ready for transparency.
"The electorate wants to punish the whole party for the misrule of the Park era," said John Delury, a professor at Yonsei University.
The Democratic Party's Moon Jae-in, who ran against Park and lost in 2012, is seen as a "clean" candidate and has led most polls ahead of the vote.
More than 11 million people -- about 26% of the electorate -- have already participated in early voting, according to the national election committee.
The Constitutional Court's March decision to uphold Park's impeachment sparked violent protests that left three people dead, though the pro- and anti-Park demonstrations in following days were peaceful.
Park has since been indicted for bribery and abuse of power.
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is serving as acting president until the election's winner is inaugurated.
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