South Korea early voting starts with 5.9% turnout

South Korea's early voting for the upcoming June 3 local elections and National Assembly by-elections commenced on May 29, with a national turnout of 5.90% by 1 p.m. on the first day. A total of 2,633,446 voters out of 44,649,908 eligible citizens had cast their ballots since voting began at 6 a.m.

The current early voting rate is slightly higher than the 5.32% recorded at the same time during the 2022 local elections. This indicates a marginal increase in early participation for this electoral cycle. The early voting period will continue until 6 p.m. on May 30 across 3,571 polling stations nationwide.

Geographically, Jeollanam-do province led in early voter turnout, reaching 12.3%, while Daegu registered the lowest participation rate at 4.57%. Seoul recorded a turnout of 5.51%, and Busan saw 5.35%. Voters can cast their ballots at any early voting station regardless of their registered address, provided they bring identification. However, for the main election on June 3, voters must go to their designated polling stations based on their residential address.