South Korea's early voting turnout for local elections surpasses 2022 levels

South Korea's early voting for the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections has seen a robust turnout, with 12.11% of eligible voters casting their ballots by 7 a.m. on May 30. This early participation rate marks an increase from the previous local elections in 2022, where the turnout at the same time was 10.66%. The cumulative number of voters participating in the early voting stands at 5,408,970 out of a total electorate of 44,649,908.

The regional distribution of early voting shows significant variation. Jeollanam-do province leads with the highest turnout at 23.21%, followed by Jeollabuk-do at 20.18%, Gangwon at 14.96%, and Gwangju at 14.76%. In contrast, Daegu registered the lowest turnout at 9.39%, while the capital city, Seoul, recorded 11.71%.

This year's early voting period, which began on May 29, is scheduled to continue until 6 p.m. on May 30. The overall early voting turnout for the 2022 local elections, which spanned two days, reached a record high of 20.62%. The introduction of early voting in 2014 for the 6th local elections has become a significant feature of South Korea's electoral process, allowing greater flexibility for voters.