ELECTION Voters line up early, fueled by hope for change

Voters cast their ballots at Seoul Jeonghwa High School in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday. Mannequin heads used by students for hairdressing practice sit beside the polling booths. Korea Times photo by Park Ung

By Park Ung

• Published Jun 3, 2025 9:42 AM KST
• Updated Jun 3, 2025 12:50 PM KST

From layoffs to tariffs, Koreans voice hopes for next president

On most days, Seoul Jeonghwa High School is filled with students practicing haircuts on mannequins as they train to become hairdressers. But on early Tuesday morning, it was bustling with voters lining up to cast their ballots as one of the 14,295 voting sites nationwide for the presidential election.

By 5:50 a.m. — 10 minutes before polls opened — a long line had already formed outside. Although the voters backed different candidates, many shared the same hope for the next president: to revive the struggling economy.

“The economy is tough, and everyone is hurting. I came early because casting my vote could bring some change,” Kang Sung-wook, a 40-year-old software developer, told The Korea Times.

“A lot of layoffs are happening right now, and I really feel how bad the economy is while working — it’s unsettling,” he added. Kang said he voted for Lee Jae-myung, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea's candidate, believing he is someone who can turn things around.

While most people woke early to vote before starting their day, some did the opposite — working through the night and voting before going to sleep. Among them was a 39-year-old clothing exporter who asked to be identified only by his surname Kim.

“I’ve been awake since 2 p.m. yesterday and got off work at 5 a.m. today. I just washed up and came straight to vote,” Kim said, adding that he hopes the next president focuses on diplomacy to strengthen the economy.

“About 70 percent of my business depends on exports. Globally, countries are adopting a more economically confrontational stance — starting with the U.S. I want a president who can respond wisely to strong foreign economic policies like [U.S. President] Donald Trump’s tariffs.”

For some voters, a candidate's character mattered more than their economic pledges.

Jung, 65, one of the first to cast his ballot just after polls opened, was asked several questions but gave only a brief reply.

“The president must be honest,” he said. “We don’t need liars. I voted for Kim Moon-soo [of the conservative People Power Party]. Everyone knows how honest he is.”

Others, like Chu Hyun-chul, weren’t so sure. The 61-year-old pharmacist said he still hadn’t made up his mind before entering the polling booth.

“The economy is struggling and the country is deeply divided. We need a competent president, but none of the candidates seem convincing,” Chu said. “My wife insisted I come vote, so I came along. But I’m still unsure who I should vote for.”

Across the country, people turned out to vote — from elderly residents in rural towns to high-profile figures in the capital.

In Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, Lee Yong-geum, whose identification lists her as 121 years old, cast her vote. Assisted by her daughter, she arrived at the voting site early in the morning.

“I came to vote because this might be the last presidential election of my life,” she said. “I hope a good person is elected president.”

Although her resident registration lists her birth year as 1904, a clerical error during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial era is believed to have inflated her age by about 15 years. Still, she is believed to be well over 100.

One of the most common sentiments heard from voters was: “I just hope Korea becomes a country where making an honest living is enough to get by.”

“Things are tough all around right now, but I just hope Korea becomes a country where people can live well,” said Han Sang-min, 31, who is preparing to start his own business.

Han said he wants to launch a pet-related startup with a friend, but securing funding has proven difficult.

“It just doesn’t feel like the right time to take the risk,” he said. “The economy is worse than expected, and the stock market is a mess. I’m not sure if a change in leadership will fix anything, but I guess we have to believe it might.”