Polls begin to pick new ROK president

SEOUL -- Polls began early Tuesday nationwide to pick new president of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in an earlier-than-usual by-election, which was caused by the removal of former President Park Geun-hye from office in March over corruption allegations.

The election to select the country's next president will last from 6 a.m. local time (2100 GMT Monday) to 8 p.m. (1100 GMT Tuesday) at 13,964 polling stations across the country.

The voting was extended by two hours compared with the 2012 presidential election to allow more people to join the momentous election for the country.

Hopes for the transfer of presidential power exploded with the influence-peddling scandal embroiling Park, which led to her impeachment and arrest, and the subsequent downfall of the conservative bloc.

The early voting, which was introduced in 2013 and first applied to this year's presidential race, attracted a record turnout of over 11 million, or 26 percent of the electorate.

The high rate reflected a great public interest in the election to pick Park's replacement.