Moon Jae In: From special forces soldier to South Korea president

The picture of Moon Jae In when he was a member of the Special Forces went viral in South Korea and was often used to shore up his image as someone who is firm on national security issues. PHOTO: MOON JAE IN / INSTAGRAM.

SEOUL: In the 2012 presidential election, Moon Jae In lost to former president Park Geun Hye by a mere 3.6 percentage points.

But Park's downfall over a corruption scandal - she was charged with bribery and other offences last month - is likely to propel Moon, a former human rights lawyer, to the country's highest office in Tuesday's presidential election.