1 of 5 | A South Korean voter walks past a banner showing the six candidates for the presidential election, as early voting kicked off on Thursday. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
South Koreans turned out in record numbers to cast their ballots as early voting kicked off on Thursday, with long lines at many of the country’s polling stations ahead of the June 3 snap presidential election.
According to the National Election Commission, voter turnout reached 19.58% as polls closed at 6 p.m., the highest first-day total since South Korea introduced early voting for presidential elections in 2014. The figure represents some 8.7 million of the country’s 44.4 million eligible voters.
The election is being held in the wake of a months-long saga precipitated by former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s shocking martial law declaration in December. The short-lived decree led to Yoon’s impeachment and eventual removal from office on April 3, while long-simmering political divisions in the country have grown deeper.
Six candidates are vying for the top office, but liberal Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo are seen as the top contenders, while Lee Jun-seok of the minor conservative New Reform Party is a distant third.
Lee, the strong frontrunner in most opinion polls, cast his ballot in the morning in the Sinchon-dong neighborhood of western Seoul.
After voting, Lee called on the public to send a message repudiating Yoon’s martial law attempt.
“I hope that the people will participate in the vote and severely and strongly judge the forces of insurrection that brought about this wrong result,” Lee told reporters.
“The fate of the Republic of Korea lies solely in the hands of the people,” he said. “In the end, the only way to exercise sovereignty is through voting.”
Kim Moon-soo, who served as labor minister under Yoon and received the impeached president’s endorsement, voted with his daughter in Seoul’s neighboring city of Incheon.
Despite lagging in polls, Kim said he believes he is closing the gap with Lee.
“The final chase is happening, but I am confident that the results will be good,” Kim told reporters.
“I think [early voter turnout] shows high interest in the election,” he added.
Alongside the fallout of Yoon’s impeachment, voters are worried about the economy, which is facing deep uncertainty around the 25% tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose on the export-driven country.
Geopolitical concerns, including an increasingly dangerous North Korea, and a looming demographic crisis caused by the world’s lowest birth rate are also on voters’ minds this election season.
Other high-profile political figures casting their ballots on Thursday included former presidents Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in.
Moon, who won the presidency in 2017 as the Democratic Party candidate, urged voters to hold the Yoon Suk Yeol administration “strictly accountable through an overwhelming judgment.”
“I hope the people remember why this early presidential election was held,” Moon wrote on Facebook after voting. “This is an election to judge the Yoon Suk Yeol government’s total failure of state affairs and internal strife.”
Early voting continues from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. Election day is Tuesday.
