SEOUL — As the early voting period for South Korea's parliamentary elections drew to a close, more than a quarter of eligible voters had already made their way to the polls, indicating a high level of engagement in this critical electoral process.
According to Yonhap News Agency, by 3 p.m. Saturday, 11,747,305 of the 44,280,011 eligible voters had participated, achieving a turnout rate of 26.53 percent. This figure surpasses the 21.95 percent turnout recorded at the same point during the 2020 parliamentary elections, highlighting a significant increase in early voter participation.
Voters had the opportunity to cast their ballots at one of the 3,565 polling stations until 6 p.m. Saturday. Those who missed this chance will need to vote on the official Election Day, set for Wednesday. The early voting system, introduced in 2014, saw a record first-day turnout of about 6.9 million voters, or 15.61 percent, this year. Every major city and province reported more than a 10 percent turnout on the first day of early voting, with South Jeolla Province leading with 23.6 percent and Seoul following at 15.83 percent.
As of the afternoon on Saturday, South Jeolla Province continued to lead with a 36.45 percent turnout, while Daegu reported the lowest at 21.51 percent. The outcome of this quadrennial race is pivotal for the ruling People Power Party, as failing to secure a majority could significantly impact President Yoon Suk Yeol's ability to govern during the remainder of his term. Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party is looking to maintain its majority following a landslide victory in the previous elections.
A recent survey by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV indicated that 80 percent of respondents plan to vote, with 39 percent preferring to vote during the early-voting period and 58 percent opting for Election Day.