South Korea's early voting turnout reaches 10.39% on first day

South Korea commenced early voting for the June 3 local elections and concurrent parliamentary by-elections on May 29. By 5 p.m. on the first day, the national turnout reached 10.39%, surpassing the 9.20% recorded during the same period in the 2022 local elections.

The early voting process, which began at 6 a.m., saw 4,639,816 out of 44,649,908 eligible voters cast their ballots. The highest turnout was observed in Jeollanam-do province, reaching 20.50%, while Daegu registered the lowest at 8.09%. Seoul's turnout stood at 9.93%, and Busan's at 9.57%.

Early voting is available nationwide on May 30, with polling stations open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voters are required to present identification and can vote at any designated early voting center, irrespective of their residential address. This differs from the main election day on June 3, when voting is restricted to polling stations within a voter's registered address.

Most voters will receive seven ballots, but those in areas with parliamentary by-elections will receive eight. The Central Election Commission provides information on early voting center locations via its website and portal sites.