JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images

South Korea's president-elect Park Geun-Hye waves to supporters as she arrives to deliver a victory speech on a stage in the centre of Seoul on December 19, 2012. South Korea elected its first female president on December 19, handing a slim but historic victory to conservative ruling party candidate Park Geun-Hye, daughter of the country's former military ruler.

South Korean voters have elected Park Geun-hye to be South Korea's next president, the first time the country has elected a female leader.

The turnout in Tuesday's election was almost 76 percent, the  country's highest in 15 years.

Park Geun-hye was the former chairwoman of the conservative Grand National Party between 2004 and 2006 and between 2011 and 2012.

L.A. has the biggest Korean population of any American City, and the election has been very closely watched here. Josie Huang was in Koreatown this morning, and she spoke to Hyun Chang a 23-year-old construction worker:

25-year-old LA resident Dustin Chang says the election of Park Geun-hye was a step in the wrong direction, referring to the controversial rule of her father, Park Chung-hye, from 1961 to 1979: