Defection could swing Korean poll

By The Newsroom
Published 17th Dec 2012, 00:00 BST
A PRO-North Korea candidate from a far-left party quit South Korea’s presidential race yesterday and threw her weight behind the main opposition candidate in a move that could decide the outcome of an election on Wednesday that appears too close to call.

Lee Jung-hee, who was polling up to 1.6 per cent in some surveys, stood aside ahead of the final presidential debate between conservative Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in. Ms Park leads Mr Moon by 0.5-2.0 percentage points in the most recent polls.

Ms Lee has acted as a spoiler in the debates so far, making strident attacks on Ms Park, the daughter of South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee.

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