Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Early voting for June 3 local elections begins across Korea
Election commission officials set up voting booths and ballot-issuing machines at an early voting station at Incheon International Airport, Thursday, a day before early voting for the June 3 local elections begins. Yonhap
By Jung Da-hyun
Rising turnout could prove decisive in tight Seoul, Daegu races
Early voting for the June 3 local elections and parliamentary by-elections takes place nationwide from Friday through Saturday.
The National Election Commission said Thursday that 3,571 early voting stations across the country will operate from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. over the two-day period. Voters can check polling station locations on the commission’s website or major online portal sites.
Eligible voters may cast their ballots at any early voting station nationwide regardless of where they are registered to vote, as long as they bring a valid form of identification such as a resident registration card, driver’s license or passport. Saved images or screenshots will not be accepted for mobile identification.
Voters will receive a total of seven ballots in most areas. In regions where parliamentary by-elections are also being held, voters will receive an additional ballot, bringing the total to eight. In Sejong and Jeju Province, which do not have lower-level local governments and therefore hold no elections for their heads or council members, voters will receive four.
An official holds up mock ballots at an early voting station set up at the Jongno 1, 2, 3, 4-ga-dong Community Service Center in central Seoul, Thursday. The two-day early voting period opens nationwide Friday ahead of the June 3 local elections. Yonhap
Voters casting ballots outside their registered electoral districts will receive a forwarding envelope for their home district along with their ballots. While people voting within their home districts can place completed ballots directly into the ballot box, out-of-district voters must seal their ballots in the provided envelope before depositing them, as unsealed ballots will be invalidated.
In addition, voters must use only the official stamp provided at polling stations, as ballots marked with personal seals, pens or other tools will not be counted. Voters must select only one candidate per ballot, and marks made outside the designated box or for multiple candidates will also render the ballot invalid.
Photography inside polling stations and of completed ballots is prohibited. Photos may only be taken outside station buildings, including at signboards or designated photo zones near entrances.
First introduced for the 2014 local elections, early voting is becoming increasingly popular in Korea, with turnout steadily rising in recent races — from 11.49 percent in 2014 to 20.14 percent in 2018 and 20.62 percent in 2022. For the presidential election in 2022, early turnout reached 36.9 percent.
Political parties are paying close attention to early voting turnout, seeing it as a key gauge of how strongly their support bases are mobilizing ahead of election day.
With a few races — including the mayoral elections in Seoul, Daegu, Busan and Ulsan, and the gubernatorial races in South Chungcheong and South Gyeongsang provinces — shaping up to be tight battles, both the ruling and opposition parties are likely to adjust their voter mobilization strategies based on regional early voting trends.
According to a poll commissioned by the National Election Commission and conducted by Gallup Korea of 1,507 voters from Sunday to Monday, 39.3 percent said they would cast their ballots during early voting.
Nearly 36 percent of those respondents said they would do so because it is more convenient than voting on Election Day, and 25.3 percent said they plan to do other things on Election Day.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.