Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.
Early voting to begin Friday
An election official sets up poll booths for early voting for next week's general election at a gym in Daejeon, Thursday. The early voting begins its two-day run, today. / Yonhap
By Kang Seung-woo
Government exploring measures for those in self-quarantine
By Kang Seung-woo
Early voting for next week's general election will start nationwide Friday, the National Election Commission (NEC) said Thursday.
According to the election watchdog, 3,508 polling stations will be set up nationwide and eligible voters can cast their ballots anywhere from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
Those who need to vote ahead of the April 15 election only have to bring their resident identification card, driver's license or passport.
The quadrennial election to make up the 300-strong National Assembly comes as the government is engaged in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. To contain the spread of the coronavirus, it has been pushing for strict social distancing, urging people to avoid indoor gatherings.
Amid concerns over possible infection at polling stations, the NEC will enforce strong quarantine measures, which starts with urging voters to wear face masks when visiting them.
At the entrance, voters will have their temperature checked, while they are required to keep a distance of at least one meter from others while waiting to vote. Those with a temperature over 37.5 degrees Celsius or symptoms of a respiratory disease will be moved to a separate booth to vote to avoid physical contact with others.
All voters will cast ballots while wearing protective gloves after disinfecting their hands with sanitizers. After the first day of early voting, polling stations, including booths and ballot stamps, will be disinfected, the NEC said.
The election watchdog will set up special polling stations at eight government-designated quarantine facilities housing coronavirus patients with mild symptoms.
The government is also seeking ways to allow 75,000 people in self-quarantine at home to vote.
The most feasible scenario could be for the government to allow infected people to vote during a separately designated timeslot, such as the last 30 minutes before a polling station closes at 6 p.m. or extend the voting period by 30 minutes from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Starting Thursday, media outlets or pollsters will no longer be allowed to release any new public surveys.
According to the Election Law, no one can publish or report the details or results of a public opinion poll that makes it possible to predict the support of each political party or candidate in an election, from six days prior to the day of the election to the closing time of polling stations.
Those who do so can face imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of 4 million won ($3,300).