South Korean voters went to the polls on Wednesday in a presidential election marred by political scandals, at a time when the country has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases. Election officials said an average voter turnout of 5 percent nationwide two hours after polls opened at 6 a.m. on Wednesday local time. Vote counting will begin after the polls close at 7.30 p.m., with the final tally to be completed early Thursday. About 37 percent, or 16 million people, of the 44 million registered voters have already cast ballots in early voting on Friday and Saturday, Yonhap News Agency reported. Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party are the front-runners of the presidential race. Both candidates have been dogged by controversies during their election campaigns. Lee, 57, former governor of Gyeonggi Province, was accused of abusing his power as Seongnam’s …