On May 29, South Korea witnessed a record turnout for early voting in the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for June 3. This surge in participation follows a period of political instability, specifically after former leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law. The frontrunner, Lee Jae-myung from the liberal Democratic Party, cast his ballot in Seoul, urging voters to support recovery and growth for the nation amidst economic challenges. The Bank of Korea recently cut interest rates and downgraded the 2025 growth forecast for the country to 0.8%.
Earlier in the week, Lee proposed the creation of a new Ministry of Climate and Energy to tackle climate issues and promised to enhance the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to foster equal rights and address reverse discrimination. As of 11 a.m. on Thursday, approximately 3.1 million voters had participated in early voting, marking a notable increase from 5.38% in the last presidential election.
South Korea has a total of 44.39 million eligible voters, with early voting spanning Thursday and Friday. In the latest Gallup Korea poll before a blackout on opinion surveys, Lee held a commanding lead with 49% support, followed by Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party at 35%, and Lee Jun-seok from the New Reform Party at 11%. Although Kim has narrowed the gap with Lee since the campaign commenced on May 12, he has been unsuccessful in persuading Lee Jun-seok to withdraw his candidacy in order to consolidate conservative votes. Early voting enthusiasm reflects the heightened political engagement among South Koreans ahead of this pivotal election.
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