South Korea’s 21st presidential election will be held on Jun. 3, with polling stations open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 14,295 locations across the country. On the final day of the official campaign period, candidates from the major political parties traveled nationwide in a last-ditch effort to sway undecided voters.
Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea urged voters to rally behind his campaign theme of “overcoming insurrection.” Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party warned against the threat of “dictatorship,” while Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party called for a “generational shift.”
Lee Jae-myung wrapped up his campaign in Yeouido, Seoul, calling the area “a historic site where the darkness of insurrection was driven out by the light of democracy.” He continued, “We will complete the revolution of light that began here in Yeouido.” Lee described the election as one aimed at “overcoming insurrection,” adding, “This rebellion has shaken the nation to its core and sent the economy into a tailspin, but together with the great people of South Korea, we will prevail.”
Kim Moon-soo addressed a crowd at Seoul Plaza, saying, “I will never deceive the people or mislead them with lies.” He pledged to revive the economy and create “a great Republic of Korea where integrity prevails, corruption is eradicated, and hardworking citizens are respected.” Kim called on voters to “block the rise of Lee Jae-myung’s monstrous dictatorship” at the ballot box.
Lee Jun-seok, speaking to supporters in Daegu, said, “A vote for me is seed money for the conservative bloc to start anew with the energy of the younger generation.” He urged voters to make a bold choice “for the future of South Korea, the survival of conservatism, and the hopes of the young generation.”
Voter turnout among overseas citizens between May 20 and 25 hit a record high of 79.5%. Early voting held on May 29 and 30 recorded a turnout of 34.74%, the second-highest in history following the 36.93% seen in the previous presidential election. The final turnout for the 20th presidential race was 77.1%.
As of 9 a.m. on Jun. 3, voter turnout for South Korea’s 21st presidential election stood at 9.2%, according to the National Election Commission. The figure is 1.1 percentage points higher than the 8.1% recorded at the same time during the 20th presidential election in 2022.
Since polls opened at 6 a.m., a total of 4,093,625 voters had cast their ballots out of 44,391,871 eligible voters nationwide.
Daegu reported the highest turnout at 11.5%, followed by Gyeongsangbuk-do at 10.9% and Daejeon at 10.0%.
Gwangju recorded the lowest turnout at 6.3%, with Jeollanam-do at 6.6% and Jeollabuk-do at 6.8%.
In the Seoul metropolitan area, voter turnout stood at 8.5% in Seoul, 9.8% in Gyeonggi-do, and 9.3% in Incheon.
Tuesday’s turnout contrasts with the early voting trends, where Jeollanam-do posted the highest participation at 56.50%, while Daegu saw the lowest at 25.63%. The early voting rate reached 34.74%, the second-highest in South Korean history, and will be added to the final tally starting at 1 p.m.
