South Koreans turn out in record numbers for early voting as presidential hopefuls vow change
South Koreans turned out in record numbers for early voting on Thursday ahead of next week's snap presidential election, official data showed, as both leading candidates urged voters to back them to change a country in crisis.
The June 3 election comes after months of political turmoil and a power vacuum following the ouster of former leader Yoon Suk Yeol over a botched attempt to impose martial law.
The liberal Democratic Party's candidate Lee Jae-myung, the frontrunner in the polls before a blackout period banning opinion polls began on Wednesday, cast his ballot in Seoul.
'In order to overcome the current crisis… and start again as a Korea of recovery and growth, please vote,' Lee said after casting his ballot alongside young voters in a university district.
His comment came after the Bank of Korea cut interest rates on Thursday and slashed its 2025 growth forecast for Asia's fourth-largest economy to 0.8% from 1.5% previously.
On Wednesday, Lee pledged to establish a new Ministry of Climate and Energy to 'respond to the climate crisis', and expand and reorganise the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to promote equal rights and address any reverse discrimination.
About 8.7 million people, or 19.6% of total eligible voters, had voted as of 6 p.m. (0900 GMT), according to National Election Commission data, the highest turnout for the equivalent period in a presidential poll and compared with 17.6% in the 2022 vote.
South Korea has 44.39 million eligible voters and early voting is allowed on Thursday and Friday.
The last published Gallup Korea poll before the blackout period put Lee at 49% public support, followed by Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party with 35% and the New Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok on 11%.
Kim and Lee Jun-seok also voted on Thursday.
'Without voting, there is no hope for the country,' Kim said after voting in Democratic Party frontrunner Lee's constituency.
'If you vote for (Lee), there will be no freedom for the country,' he said, warning his main opponent would abuse his party's parliamentary majority.
Kim had narrowed a gap of more than 20 percentage points with Lee Jae-myung at the start of the campaign on May 12, but has failed to convince Lee Jun-seok to drop out and back him to improve his chances.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
an hour ago
- Eyewitness News
Russia, Ukraine head to Istanbul for fresh peace talks
ISTANBUL - Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet Monday in Istanbul to exchange their plans for how to end the three-year war, Europe's largest conflict since World War II, after Kyiv says it struck dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases deep in Russia. Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia's invasion but have yet to make significant progress towards an elusive agreement. Monday's talks come a day after Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks ever on Russian soil - hitting dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases thousands of kilometres behind the front line. At the first round of talks in Istanbul last month, they agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange and to swap notes on what their vision of a peace deal might look like. The second set of negotiations is scheduled to get underway at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT) at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, an Ottoman imperial house on the banks of the Bosphorus that is now a luxury five-star hotel. Russia says it will present a "memorandum" of its peace terms, having resisted pressure by Ukraine to send its demands in advance. Despite the flurry of diplomacy, the two sides remain far apart over a possible deal - either for a truce or longer-term settlement. Outlining Kyiv's position ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refreshed his call for an immediate halt to the fighting. "First – a full and unconditional ceasefire. Second – the release of prisoners. Third - the return of abducted children," he said Sunday in a post on social media. He also called for the sides to discuss a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "The key issues can only be resolved by the leaders," Zelensky said. The Kremlin has repeatedly pushed back on that prospect, saying a Putin-Zelensky meeting could only happen after the negotiating delegations reach wider "agreements". Russia has questioned Zelensky's legitimacy throughout the war and repeatedly called for him to be toppled. Moscow says it wants to address the "root causes" of the conflict - language typically used to refer to a mix of sweeping demands including limiting Ukraine's military, banning the country from joining NATO and massive territorial concessions. Kyiv and the West have rejected those calls and cast Russia's assault as nothing but an imperialist land grab. Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia invaded, with swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed and millions forced to flee their homes. WAR RAGES ON Russia's top negotiator in Istanbul will be Vladimir Medinsky, an ideological Putin aide who led failed talks in 2022, has written school textbooks justifying the invasion and questioned Ukraine's right to exist. Ukraine's team will be led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, seen as a skilled and pragmatic negotiator, but who has been mired in domestic scandal over alleged abuse of power and a lack of transparency. "Diplomatic advisors" from Germany, France and Britain will be "on the ground... in close coordination with the Ukrainian negotiating team," a German government spokesperson said Sunday. Ukraine on Sunday said it had damaged some 40 strategic Russian bombers, worth $7 billion, in a major special operation after months of setbacks for Kyiv's military. Kyiv's security service said the plan, 18 months in the making, had involved smuggling drones into Russia which were then launched from near the airbases, thousands of kilometres away from the front lines. Russian troops have meanwhile been advancing on the ground, particularly in the northeastern Sumy region, where Putin ordered his forces to establish a "buffer zone" along the border. Ballistic strikes in the northeastern Kharkiv region on Monday injured at least six people, including a seven-year-old, and damaged a civilian business and a warehouse, Kharkiv Governor Oleg Synegubov said on Monday. Ahead of the talks, Russian officials have called for Ukraine to be cut off from Western military support and cede territory still controlled by its army. Ukraine has pushed Russia to agree a full, unconditional and immediate ceasefire - saying a pause in the fighting is necessary to then discuss what a long-term settlement could look like. Kyiv has refused to formally give up the one-fifth of its territory controlled by Russia, though it has accepted that it may only be able to get some land back through diplomacy, not fighting. It also wants concrete Western-backed security guarantees - like NATO protections or Western troops on the ground - that have also been ruled out by Russia.
eNCA
14 hours ago
- eNCA
South Korea presidential candidates rally ahead of June 3 vote
South Korea's leading candidates held major campaign events Sunday, two days out from a snap election triggered by the former president's removal after his disastrous declaration of martial law. The June 3 election is set to cap months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office. All major polls have put liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead in the presidential race, with the latest Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate. Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) -- Yoon's former party -- trailed Lee on 35 percent. The 60-year-old Lee began his rally in his hometown of Andong, 240 kilometres southeast of Seoul, telling his supporters he would seek to weaken the concentration of development in the capital region and boost areas away from Seoul. "We should not simply seek a regional equal development strategy but rather provide more incentives for non-Seoul regions to support them more," said Lee, wearing a bulletproof vest. Lee has been campaigning with additional security measures, including bulletproof shields set up on the podium. He was stabbed in the neck in January 2024 in Busan by a man pretending to be a supporter, who later confessed that his intention was to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president. At his rally in the conservative stronghold of Daegu, Lee said he would seek to improve ties with nuclear-armed North Korea through dialogue -- hinting at a departure from the hawkish stance taken by impeached former president Yoon. "Isn't real national strength about achieving peace through communication and finding a path to mutual prosperity, rather than pursuing confrontation?" he said. "Competent national security means building peace in which there is no need to fight." Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, partly due to Yoon's hardline policies towards the North, which has bolstered ties with Moscow, including sending weapons and soldiers to help it fight Kyiv. - 'Bulletproof measures' - The conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo kicked off a rally on Sunday in Suwon by commenting on rival Lee's security measures. "Look, I'm not wearing a bulletproof vest, right? But Lee is now even using bulletproof shields, feeling the vest isn't enough," he said. "With such bulletproof measures, Lee is poised to impose his own dictatorship and we must stop it," Kim added. While most polls conducted before the blackout placed Kim a distant second, he expressed confidence in winning. "I believe a major turnaround is currently taking place," he said. South Korea has entered a so-called "dark campaign period" during which the results of public opinion polls are barred from being disclosed, although pollsters are still conducting surveys. Nearly 35 percent of voters have already cast their ballots -- taking advantage of two days of early voting earlier last week, according to the National Election Commission. The winner of the June 3 election will take office the following day on a single five-year term, with no transition period. Front-runner Lee's likely victory could prove a "a watershed moment in South Korean politics, ending six months of turbulence for democracy since former president Yoon's errant declaration of martial law", said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. Lee "has proved to be a political survivor, after legal scandals, questionable opposition tactics, and even threats to his life," he added. By Kang Jin-kyu
eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
At least 7 dead after Russian bridge collapses onto railway
RUSSIA - At least seven people were killed late Saturday and dozens injured after a bridge collapsed onto a railway in a Russian region bordering Ukraine, officials said, in an incident the railway operator blamed on "illegal interference". A train travelling from the Russian border town of Klimovo to the capital Moscow was derailed in the incident, authorities said, without giving details. Videos posted on social media showed rescuers working at the site of a large mound of rubble covering what appeared to be a train belonging to national operator Russian Railways, while another showed people shouting in distress. "There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks," Aleksandr Bogomaz, the Bryansk region's governor, wrote on Telegram. At least 69 others were injured, including three children, he added. Moscow Railways, a state-owned subsidiary, said a passenger train derailed "between Klimov and Moscow due to the collapse of a road bridge span, as a result of illegal interference in the operation of transport". The incident happened at 10:44 pm (1944 GMT) between Pilshino and Vygonichi stations in the Bryansk region, the railway operator said on Telegram. The incident did not affect other train traffic, the firm added. In one video posted on social media, someone can be heard screaming as eyewitnesses rush to find help. "How did the bridge collapse? There are children there!" a woman can be heard shouting in the video. - 'Illegal interference' - Photos published online by Russian authorities showed a collapsed section of the bridge and damaged vehicles, as rescue workers were deployed overnight. The disaster area is around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Russia's emergency ministry said a team was on site, while Russian Railways said it had dispatched repair trains to the scene. Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation. Authorities did not explain how the incident happened and what the railway operator meant by "illegal interference". Ukraine, which Russia has blamed for previous incidents, did not immediately comment. Russia has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine in 2022, many targeting its vast railroad network. Kyiv says Russia uses railroads to transport troops and weaponry to its forces fighting in Ukraine. The incident came just two days before a possible meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, amid a US-led diplomatic push to end the three-year conflict.
