SEOUL — With only an hour remaining in the early-voting period for the parliamentary elections, South Korea is on the verge of surpassing a 30 percent turnout rate, a milestone not previously achieved in general elections.
According to Yonhap News Agency, by 5 p.m. Saturday, 13,135,999 of the 44,280,011 eligible voters had participated, setting the turnout rate at 29.67 percent. This marks a significant increase from the 24.95 percent recorded at the same point during the previous parliamentary elections in 2020.
Voters had the opportunity to cast their ballots at 3,565 polling stations until 6 p.m. Saturday. Those unable to vote in the early-voting period are expected to do so on Election Day, which is scheduled for Wednesday. The first day of early voting saw about 6.9 million voters, or 15.61 percent of eligible voters, making it the highest first-day turnout since South Korea introduced the early-voting system in 2014.
Turnout exceeded 10 percent across all 17 major cities and provinces on the first day, with South Jeolla Province leading with a 23.6 percent turnout, followed by a 15.83 percent turnout in Seoul. As of 5 p.m. Saturday, South Jeolla Province maintained its lead with a 39.63 percent turnout, while the southeastern city of Daegu had the lowest at 24.23 percent.
The outcome of this quadrennial election is deemed crucial for the ruling People Power Party. Failure to secure a majority could significantly impact President Yoon Suk Yeol's capacity to govern effectively during the remainder of his single five-year term. Conversely, the main opposition Democratic Party seeks to maintain its parliamentary majority following a landslide victory in the previous elections.
A survey by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV earlier this week revealed that 80 percent of respondents were certain about voting, with 39 percent opting for the early-voting period and 58 percent planning to vote on Election Day.