Home > National > Politics

First day of early voting in local election sees record turnout

Published: 29 May. 2026, 19:47 Updated: 29 May. 2026, 20:00

People form long lines to vote for the June 3 local elections at a community center in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 29. [NEWS1]

Voter turnout reached 11.6 percent on Friday, the first day of early voting for the June 3 local elections, marking a record high for the opening day.

A total of 5.18 million voters cast ballots between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday, according to the National Election Commission. This represents 11.6 percent of the 44.65 million eligible voters.

The figure marked the highest first-day early voting turnout ever recorded in a local election, surpassing the 10.18 percent recorded in 2022 and the 8.77 percent recorded in 2018. It remained below the first-day early voting rates for the 2025 presidential election, 19.58 percent, and the 2024 general election, 15.61 percent.

South Jeolla had the highest turnout at 22.31 percent, followed by North Jeolla at 19.39 percent, where Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Won-taeg and independent candidate Kim Kwan-young are locked in a close race for governor.

Voter turnout in Gangwon was 14.37 percent, and in Gwangju, it was 14.19 percent.

Among the key battlegrounds, Seoul recorded a turnout of 11.22 percent, Busan 10.68 percent and South Gyeongsang 12.28 percent.

Daegu, which has historically recorded relatively low early voting participation, posted the lowest turnout at 9.02 percent.

Turnout reached 7.94 percent in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, which includes the Pyeongtaek-B constituency where a parliamentary by-election is being held. Busan's Buk District, which includes the Buk-A constituency, recorded 11.72 percent.

Early voting continues through Saturday.

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-Yong casts his vote at a community center in Hannam-dong of Yongsan District, central Seoul, on May 29. [NEWS1]

Leaders from both parties stepped up efforts to mobilize supporters.

DP leader Jung Chung-rae cast his ballot at the Seongsan 2-dong Community Service Center in his Mapo-B constituency in western Seoul.

"I will do my utmost to ensure that even one more person who supports the DP comes out to vote," Jung said. "If we win Seoul, we win the nation. I want to win in Seoul."

Shortly after voting, Jung attended a meeting of the party's central election committee at the campaign office of Chong Won-o the DP's Seoul mayoral candidate.

"If you are pleased to see the Kospi rising, vote for candidate No. 1," Jung said during the meeting.

DP floor leader Han Byung-do also cast an early ballot in Namwon, North Jeolla, while campaigning in the region for a fifth consecutive day.

People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok opted to vote on election day, June 3, rather than during the early voting period.

Speaking at a campaign rally at Jochiwon Station in Sejong, Jang urged supporters to participate.

"Even if we lose by a single vote, it is still a defeat, and we will fail to stop Lee Jae Myung's dictatorship and the arrogance of the DP," Jang said. "Nothing happens if you do not go to the polling station."

Rep. Song Eon-seog, floor leader of the PPP, campaigned in Daejeon on Friday and also called on supporters to vote. Song is scheduled to vote Saturday in his constituency of Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang.

"The Lee Jae Myung administration will hit people with higher taxes, higher rents, higher interest costs and heavier regulations after the election." Song said. "The fate of the country rests on these three days — the two days of early voting and election day."

Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, policy chief of the PPP, cast a ballot in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang.

The two parties offered sharply different interpretations of the turnout figure.

People take photos of slips with voting stamps to prove they voted for the local elections on May 29, the first day of the early voting period. [YONHAP]

Rep. Jo Seoung-lae, the DP's secretary-general, described it as "a firm determination to restore Korea, which was thrown into disorder by incompetent insurrection forces."

Park Sung-hoon, senior spokesperson for the PPP, said many voters had turned out to "hold President Lee Jae Myung and the DP accountable for their arrogance and unilateralism."

Whether the record first-day turnout will translate into a higher overall turnout remains uncertain.

Local elections have traditionally recorded turnout rates 15 to 25 percentage points lower than presidential and general elections, where partisan mobilization tends to be stronger.

Some analysts argue that the expansion of early voting has done more to spread voters out across multiple voting days than to increase overall turnout.

The 2022 local elections had an early voting turnout of 20.62 percent, up 0.48 percentage points from the previous local elections in 2018. Overall turnout, however, fell 9.3 percentage points to 50.9 percent.

The National Election Commission has introduced additional transparency measures to address conspiracy theories surrounding early voting.

The commission now provides 24-hour public access to closed-circuit television footage of ballot box storage sites. It has also replaced ballot box stands with transparent materials.

"Local elections are generally less polarized than presidential or general elections," said Cho Gui-dong, head of strategy at Min Consulting, a politics consulting firm. "The key is which side can bring more swing voters to the polls. Which side can mobilize their support will likely determine the outcome in closely contested races."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK TAE-IN [[email protected]]