South Korea issued a statement Monday welcoming Libya's first parliamentary election in almost five decades, as partial results suggest liberals appear to be leading Islamists.

"We extend congratulations to the Libyan people for exercising sovereignty for the first time in nearly 50 years," the foreign ministry here said in a statement.

Saying the first election since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi last year is "of historical significance", the ministry said it hopes Libya will restore political and economic stability and become a "leading democracy in the region."

All 200 parliamentary seats are up for grabs, with 3,707 running. The turnout was estimated at around 60 percent.

The 2011 uprising, which killed some 50,000 people, ended Gaddafi's 42-year rule.