Seoul: More than 12 million voters have participated in early voting for the upcoming presidential election, as reported by the national election commission on Friday. This surge comes as candidates intensify their efforts to win over undecided voters in the final days leading up to the election. The turnout reached 27.17 percent by 1 p.m. on the second and last day of early voting for the June 3 election, marking the highest turnout since the early voting system was introduced in 2014.
According to Yonhap News Agency, approximately 44.3 million voters are eligible to participate in this election, which follows a turbulent period of political unrest instigated by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law. Both Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo have been actively encouraging voter participation during the two-day early voting window. They argue that high turnout is advantageous for their respective campaigns in a competitive three-way race, which also includes Lee Jun-seok of the minor conservative New Reform Party.
On Friday, DP's Lee Jae-myung is scheduled to visit Chuncheon and Wonju in Gangwon Province before proceeding to Chungju in North Chungcheong Province for campaign events. This marks his inaugural visit to Gangwon during the official campaigning period, a region where he previously lost to Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election. In contrast, PPP's Kim Moon-soo has embarked on a 90-hour nonstop overnight campaign tour across the nation in a last-ditch effort to garner voter support before the formal election day. His campaign commenced with rallies in Gapyeong, Icheon, and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province. Kim is also slated to visit Chungju, Jecheon in North Chungcheong, and Wonju and Chuncheon in Gangwon.
Earlier in the day, Kim addressed the public from the PPP headquarters, urging voters to prevent Lee from assuming office. "To restore the economy, we must stop Lee Jae-myung," he stressed. "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 most recent presidential election poll, released on Wednesday, shows DP's Lee leading with 49.2 percent support, followed by PPP's Kim at 36.8 percent. Lee Jun-seok holds third place with 10.3 percent backing.