San Francisco Frontiers - South Korea presidential candidates rally in final campaign stretch

South Koreans are desperate to draw a line under six months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office.

All major polls put liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead in the presidential race, with the latest Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate.

Conservative Kim Moon-soo, from the People Power Party (PPP) -- Yoon's former party -- trailed Lee on 35 percent.

Both candidates have framed the campaign as a fight for the soul of the nation.

Lee spent much of his final day of campaigning in his old stomping grounds of Gyeonggi Province -- where he previously served as governor and built much of his support base.

He then headed to Seoul's Yeouido, to hold his final rally at the site where people gathered to demand disgraced president Yoon be impeached after he attempted to suspend civilian rule in December.

By Monday evening, thousands of Lee's supporters had gathered, waving blue balloons, as K-pop music blasted and vendors sold glo-sticks emblazoned with Lee's beaming face.

"I expect him to win soundly tomorrow. I'm sure he will govern with care for the underprivileged and provide fair and equal opportunities for all," said Jeong Hea-sun, a 59-year-old factory worker.

Conservative Kim began his final campaign push from the southernmost tip of the country, Jeju Island, before making his way north and wrapping up in Seoul's hip Gangnam district where he is set to meet with young voters.

- Late controversy -

Dominating the headlines of the last day of campaigning are allegations the Democratic Party fabricated an endorsement of Lee by veteran Singapore-based investor Jim Rogers.

The Democratic Party said on Friday that Rogers described Lee as "a leader who can open a new chapter of peace, prosperity, and global leadership".

But local media quoted him as telling them he had "not endorsed anyone in Korea ever", saying "Mr Lee is making things up".

Rogers did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Despite the controversy, experts say Lee remains the strong favourite to win.

"The presidential race has effectively become a contest between Lee Jae-myung and those rallying against him," Kang Joo-hyun, a political science professor at Sookmyung Women's University, told AFP.

"The most recent polls show that Lee has consistently maintained a lead near or just below the majority threshold," she added.

South Korea has entered a so-called "dark campaign period" -- meaning the results of public opinion polls are barred from being disclosed although pollsters are still conducting surveys.

More than a third of voters have already cast their ballots, taking advantage of two days of early voting last week, according to the National Election Commission.

The winner of the June 3 election takes office the following day on a single five-year term, with no transition period.

R.Baker--SFF