South Korea's early voting turnout for local elections breaks record

South Korea has witnessed a record-breaking turnout for early voting in the upcoming June 1 local elections. As of 4 PM on May 30, the nationwide early voting rate reached 20.94%, surpassing the previous record set during the 2022 local elections.

The current figure represents a 2.55 percentage point increase compared to the 18.39% turnout recorded at the same time during the 2022 local elections. This early voting period, which began in 2013 and was fully implemented for local elections in 2014, has seen steadily increasing participation. For comparison, the early voting rate for the 2024 general elections was 29.1%, and for the 2022 presidential election, it stood at 31.38%.

The data from the National Election Commission indicates that out of a total of 44,649,908 eligible voters, 9,347,567 have cast their ballots during the early voting period. Regional disparities are evident, with Jeonnam province leading the nation in turnout at 35.89%, followed by Jeonbuk (31.96%) and Gwangju (24.82%). Conversely, Daegu reported the lowest early voting rate at 16.53%, with Gyeonggi (18.49%) and Busan (18.98%) also showing lower participation.

This high early voting turnout suggests significant public engagement in the local elections, which will determine the leadership and policies for municipalities across the country. The results of these elections are closely watched as indicators of the broader political sentiment and the performance of the current administration.