South Korea: Early Voting for Presidential Election Heads Toward Record Turnout

Seoul – Over 12 million South Koreans have already cast their ballots in early voting for next week's presidential election, the National Election Commission announced on Friday. As candidates intensify their efforts to win over undecided voters, the country is on track to witness a record early voter turnout.

As of 1 p.m. on the second and final day of early voting, turnout stood at 27.17%, the highest ever recorded at this stage since early voting was introduced in 2014.

Roughly 44.3 million people are eligible to vote in the election, which comes in the wake of months of political turbulence following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s controversial and failed attempt to impose martial law.

The race features a close three-way contest among Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung, People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo, and New Reform Party’s Lee Jun-seok, with all candidates urging citizens to make their voices heard during the two-day early voting period. Both major parties believe higher turnout could play in their favor.

On Friday, the DP’s Lee Jae-myung is campaigning in Chuncheon and Wonju in Gangwon Province, followed by a rally in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province—his first visit to Gangwon during the official campaign period. These are regions where he previously lost to Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election, according to Yonhap news agency.

Meanwhile, PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo has embarked on a 90-hour nonstop campaign tour across the country in a final effort to rally support. His campaign began in Gapyeong, Icheon, and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province, and will continue through Chungju, Jecheon, Wonju, and Chuncheon.

Earlier in the day, Kim addressed the public from PPP headquarters, making a strong appeal to voters:
"To revive the economy, we must stop Lee Jae-myung. If we don’t stop him now, our economic future could be at risk for decades."

According to the latest poll published on Wednesday, Lee Jae-myung leads with 49.2% support, followed by Kim Moon-soo at 36.8%, and Lee Jun-seok in third with 10.3%.

With inputs from IANS