South Koreans begin early voting in presidential poll
People vote during early voting for the June 3 presidential election at a polling station in Seoul on May 29. PHOTO: REUTERS
SEOUL - Early voting in South Korea's presidential elections kicked off on May 29, with both main candidates set to cast ballots in a poll triggered by ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's ill-fated effort to suspend civilian rule in 2024.
All major polls have placed liberal Lee Jae-myung as the clear frontrunner in the presidential race, with a recent Gallup survey showing 49 per cent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate.
Trailing behind him is conservative ex-labour minister Kim Moon-soo of the ruling People Power Party – Yoon's former party – at 35 per cent.
While election day is set for June 3, those who want to vote early can do so on May 29 and May 30 – part of an initiative introduce in 2013 to help those unable to cast ballots on polling day or planning to travel.
South Koreans have in recent years turned out in larger and larger numbers for early voting, with 37 per cent casting their ballots ahead of polling day in the 2022 presidential election.
Voting began at 6am (5am Singapore time) for twelve hours, taking place again on May 30.
According to the National Election Commission, as of 9am, the early voting turnout rate was 3.55 per cent, the highest record yet for that time in South Korean election history.
Lee, of the Democratic Party, is expected to vote in the capital Seoul on the morning of May 29.
'Some say power comes from the barrel of a gun, but I believe a vote is more powerful than a bullet,' he told a rally on May 28.
According to a Gallup poll, more than half of Lee's supporters said they planned to vote early, compared to just 16 per cent of Mr Kim's supporters.
Mr Kim has said he will cast his vote in Incheon, west of Seoul, with his campaign framing it as 'the beginning of a dramatic turnaround', a nod to General Douglas MacArthur's landing there during the Korean War.
'Take part'
Mr Kim's decision to vote early has surprised many on the right, where conspiracy theories about electoral fraud – particularly during early voting – are rife.
The 73-year-old however reassured his supporters that there is 'nothing to worry about.'
'If you hesitate to vote early and end up missing the main election, it would be a major loss,' said Mr Kim on May 28.
'Our party will mobilise all its resources to ensure strict monitoring and oversight of early voting,' he said.
'So please don't worry and take part in it,' he said.
Conservative candidate Mr Kim shot to public attention in the aftermath of Yoon's martial law debacle, when he declined to bow in apology to the public for failing to prevent the suspension of civilian rule.
In contrast, lawyer-turned-politician Lee played a central role in stopping the push to suspect civilian rule, live-streaming his frantic drive to Parliament and his scramble over the perimeter fence as he and other lawmakers raced to vote down the decree.
He has since vowed to 'bring insurrection elements to justice' if elected president. AFP
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'They have other avenues to engage with Beijing, and some of these, away from the glare of media and in a bilateral format, would probably be as useful, if not more useful, than a full-scale forum,' Lim said.
