SEOUL — South Korea's parliamentary elections saw a significant turnout on the second and final day of early voting, following a record-breaking number of voters who cast their ballots on Friday. Eligible voters had until 6 p.m. Saturday to participate in early voting at 3,565 polling stations across the country, with those missing this window having to wait until Election Day on Wednesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a historic first-day turnout was recorded, with 6,910,510 out of 44,280,011 eligible voters participating, translating to a 15.61 percent turnout rate. This marks the highest first-day turnout since the early-voting system was introduced in 2014.
Early voting turnout surpassed 10 percent across all 17 major cities and provinces, with South Jeolla Province leading with a 23.6 percent turnout. Seoul also saw a significant participation rate of 15.83 percent. As of 9 a.m. Saturday, the NEC reported an overall turnout of 17.78 percent, with 7,875,045 voters having already cast their ballots, a notable increase from the 14.04 percent turnout at the same point during the previous parliamentary elections in 2020. South Jeolla continued to show high engagement, reaching a 26.51 percent turnout, while Daegu reported the lowest at 13.91 percent.
The elections are particularly critical for the ruling People Power Party as a failure to secure a majority could potentially impact President Yoon Suk Yeol's effectiveness during the remainder of his term. Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party aims to maintain its parliamentary majority, having secured a landslide victory in the last elections. A recent survey by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV revealed that 80 percent of respondents intend to vote, with 39 percent opting for early voting and 58 percent planning to vote on Election Day.