Nearly 30% of ballots cast so far in early voting for presidential election
More than 13 million voters have cast their ballots in early voting so far for the presidential election, according to the national election commission Friday, with attention focusing on how such high voter enthusiasm would affect the June 3 formal vote.
Turnout was 29.97 percent as of 3 p.m. on the second and last day of early voting, compared with the all-time high turnout of 30.74 percent for the same time in early voting for the 2022 presidential election.
About 44.3 million voters are eligible for the election that will culminate monthslong political chaos triggered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid.
Both Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo have been encouraging people to go to the polls during the two-day early voting period, claiming high turnout benefits their candidates amid a three-way race that included Lee Jun-seok of the minor conservative New Reform Party.
For Friday, the DP's Lee visited Chuncheon and Wonju in Gangwon Province before heading to Chungju in North Chungcheong Province for his campaign rallies. This marks his first visit to Gangwon during the official campaign period.
Both the Gangwon and North Chungcheong provinces were regions where Lee lost to then candidate Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election.
Lee also appeared on cable broadcaster JTBC's YouTube channel and called for a special counsel probe to fully hold accountable those involved in Yoon's martial law bid.
"To bring the insurrection to a complete end, all those responsible or complicit must be identified and held accountable," he said.
He also said a supplementary budget under his administration will focus on revitalizing the domestic economy and supporting working-class citizens, citing his signature policy of issuing local currency vouchers, which are designed to help small merchants and the self-employed.
The PPP's Kim launched a 90-hour nonstop overnight campaign tour across the country in a final push to appeal to voters ahead of the formal vote.
He started off with campaign rallies in Gapyeong, Icheon and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province.
Kim then traveled to Chungju and Jecheon in North Chungcheong and will head to Wonju and Chuncheon in Gangwon.
Earlier in the day, Kim delivered a public address at the PPP's headquarters, urging voters to help prevent Lee from taking office.
"To restore the economy, we must stop Lee Jae-myung," he said. "If we fail to stop him now, our economy could collapse in a way that we won't be able to recover even in five or 20 years."
The latest poll on the presidential election, published Wednesday, showed the DP's Lee in the lead at 49.2 percent, followed by Kim of the PPP with 36.8 percent. Lee Jun-seok came in third with 10.3 percent support. (Yonhap)
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