Former human rights lawyer, Moon Jae-in, has been elected new South Korean president, an exit poll predicted after polls closed on Tuesday.

It put Mr. Moon on 41.4 per cent, with his nearest challenger, conservative Hong Joon-Pyo, on 23.3 per cent, the BBC reports.

Mr. Moon favours greater dialogue with North Korea, in a change to current South Korean policy.

The early election was called after a corruption scandal led to the impeachment of the former president.

Park Geun-hye is accused of allowing a close friend to extort money from companies. She denied all wrongdoing.

If Mr. Moon’s victory is confirmed, he is likely to be sworn in on Wednesday.