Seoul: Former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in participated in early voting for the upcoming presidential election on Thursday, encouraging citizens to cast their votes to decide the nation's next leader.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Moon visited a polling station in Yangsan, located about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on the first day of the early voting period for the June 3 election. This election was necessitated by the ousting of former President Yoon Suk Yeol due to his unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law. Accompanied by former first lady Kim Jung-sook, Moon emphasized the importance of the election, stating, "I hope the people remember why an early election is taking place." He further noted, "This is an election to judge the Yoon Suk Yeol government's total collapse of state affairs and insurrection." Moon urged voters to hold the former administration accountable.
In a similar act, former President Park Geun-hye cast her vote at a polling station in Daegu, approximately 230 kilometers southeast of Seoul. She addressed the media, urging citizens to participate in early voting to increase voter turnout. "There are many who are concerned with early voting," Park remarked. "For those who can't vote on the day of the election, shouldn't they actively take part in early voting to raise voter turnout? ... Please cast your ballots." Her statements seemed to address and alleviate concerns about vote-rigging among some conservative factions.
Park's participation in early voting is significant, given her removal from office in 2017 following impeachment over a corruption scandal. This led to a snap election, which was won by Moon, then a candidate from the Democratic Party.