Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was sworn in as South Korea’s next president on Wednesday following a dramatic snap election six months after the country’s previous leader declared martial law and plunged the nation into chaos.

South Koreans headed to the polls in record numbers on Tuesday to vote for a new president exactly six months after a botched martial law decree by impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol unleashed political turmoil and deepened divisions in the country.

South Korea's liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung is projected to win Tuesday's snap presidential election by wide margins, according to exit polls.