While both have signaled a desire for greater engagement with Pyongyang, Park's approach is far more cautious than Moon's promise to resume aid without preconditions and seek an early summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The two rivals for South Korea's presidency made a final pitch to voters Tuesday — the eve of an election that looks set to go down to the wire and could produce the country's first female leader.

The winner of Wednesday's ballot will face numerous foreign and domestic challenges, including a pugnacious North Korea, a slowing economy and soaring welfare costs in one of the world's most rapidly ageing societies.

Ruling conservative party candidate Park Geun-hye is looking to make history as the first female president of a still male-dominated nation, and the first to be related to a former leader.

Park, 60, is the daughter of one of modern South Korea's most polarizing figures, the late dictator Park Chung-hee who is both admired for dragging the country out of poverty and reviled for his ruthless suppression of dissent during 18 years of autocratic rule.Standing between Park and the presidential Blue House is the liberal Moon Jae-In from the main opposition party, a former human rights lawyer who was once jailed for protesting against the regime of Park's father.

滬江英語快訊：韓國定于19日舉行第18屆總統(tǒng)選舉。選戰(zhàn)最后一天，新國家黨候選人樸槿惠和最大在野黨民主統(tǒng)合黨候選人文在寅一個北上，一個南下，作最后拉票沖刺。相比樸槿惠的高調(diào)和煽情，文在寅的務(wù)實風(fēng)格也頗得青年人的喜歡。

樸槿惠現(xiàn)年60歲，保守派代表人物，已故前總統(tǒng)樸正熙長女，執(zhí)政黨前黨首，人稱“選舉女王”。文在寅59歲，自由派單一候選人，曾任已故前總統(tǒng)盧武鉉的青瓦臺總統(tǒng)府秘書室長，獲稱“盧武鉉的影子”。

此次大選呈現(xiàn)“保守與進步”全面對決的局面，也是首次男性候選人對女性候選人的對決，因此隨著選舉結(jié)果的不同，韓國的政治方向和格局將出現(xiàn)巨大的轉(zhuǎn)折。

候選人競選語錄：

樸槿惠：“我沒有家庭可以照顧，沒有子女可以繼承財富。大家，國民，是我的家人。讓大家幸福是我留在政壇的理由?！?/p>

文在寅：“韓國現(xiàn)在面臨“整體危機”，不是執(zhí)政黨換一名“選手”就能解決問題，我們必須改變整套班子。如果我當(dāng)選，我將擦干國民的眼淚，強調(diào)公平和正義，作出犧牲和奉獻，投身于民眾中，保持可敬的品格?！?/p>