An exit poll of voters indicated a clear win for Moon Jae-in of the liberal Democratic Party in South Korea's presidential election on Tuesday.
Moon was estimated to have garnered 41.4 per cent of all votes, according to the exit poll conducted by three major local broadcasters -- MBC, KBS and SBS, Yonhap news agency reported.
"I felt the people's earnest desire for government change to create a country worthy of calling a country," said Moon, a former human rights lawyer and chief of staff to late President Roh Moo-hyun, before casting his ballot at a polling station in northwestern Seoul, together with his wife.
"I plead with you to join forces to build a country worthy of being called a country by participating in the vote until the end," he added.
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The frontrunner was followed by Hong Joon-pyo of the conservative Liberty Korea Party with 23.3 per cent.
The outcome of the exit poll was announced as the one-day voting came to end at 8 p.m.
Moon's victory has been widely anticipated as the rare presidential by-election caused by the March 10 ouster of former conservative President Park Geun-hye.
The former conservative President was removed from office by a Constitutional Court that upheld the parliamentary impeachment of her over a series of corruption allegations that have also led to her arrest and indictment.
Ahn Cheol-soo of the centre-left People's Party was expected to finish third, with the exit poll showing him winning 21.8 per cent of all votes cast in the election.
Yoo Seong-min of the splinter conservative Bareun Party came in a distant fourth with 7.1 per cent, followed by Sim Sang-jeung of the progressive Justice Party with 5.9 per cent.
Unlike the previous elections, the President-elect will be sworn in immediately after the National Electoral Commission (NEC) makes an official statement of the election result at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning, media reports said.
--IANS
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