ROK elects first female president

Former leader's daughter wins by slim majority

The Republic of Korea on Wednesday elected a new leader, who convinced the country that she has left the political legacy of her controversial father behind.

Yoo Bok-yeob (C), 72, a village schoolmaster, casts his ballot with his family members in the Republic of Korea's presidential election at a polling station in Nonsan, about 190km south of Seoul, on Wednesday. More than 40 million people are eligible to vote in the election. Lee Jae-won / Reuters

Park Geun-hye, 60, defeated liberal Moon Jae-in by a slim margin, marking her the first female leader in a nation long dominated by boardrooms of men and ranked low in terms of gender equality.

The presidential race was a referendum on the legacy of her father, Park Chung-hee, who gained power in a 1961 military coup and ruled the country for 18 years.

Park Geun-hye was already viewed as a powerful figure, having served as first daughter and later first lady of the nation, after her mother was assassinated. Her mother was killed in 1974, and her father was assassinated in 1979.

In pictures: Polls open in ROK's presidential election