South Korean Presidential Election Approaches with Anticipation for Potential Early Voting Record; Over a Fourth of Eligible Voters Already Voted Preliminarily
South Korea Experiences Record Early Voting Ahead of Presidential Election
South Korea is poised to break a record in early voting as over 12 million voters have already cast their ballot ahead of the country's upcoming presidential election. According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, this figure represents more than a quarter of South Korea's 44.3 million eligible voters.
Early voting commenced on Thursday and will conclude on Friday, preceding the official vote on Tuesday, when South Koreans will choose a successor to impeached President Yoon Sook-yeol. Yoon sparked a political upheaval in South Korea in December when he briefly enforced martial law, a move that was later overturned by the National Assembly.
The ex-president allegedly justified his decision to impose martial law and detain opposition politicians due to government infiltration by antistate and North Korean forces. Yoon was impeached in the same month but was not officially removed from office until April, when South Korea's constitutional court approved the impeachment vote.
The latest poll before the election places Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung as the front-runner, with 42.9 percent support, followed by Kim Moon-soo from Yoon's conservative People Power Party, with 36.8 percent, according to Yonhap. Conservative New Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok trails in a distant third place with 10.3 percent of support.
Turnout has been highest in regions affiliated with the Democratic Party, while turnout has been lowest in conservative strongholds like Gyeongsang Province, according to David Lee, a Seoul-based journalist. Lee noted that the morale at the Democratic camp is more energetic, especially following the historic impeachment trial. In contrast, supporters of the People Power Party are navigating murkier waters.
Fraud conspiracy theories have pervaded the election period, with Lee stating that some of these theories are linked to provisions for early voting. South Korean police have reported an increase in vandalism of campaign materials and have apprehended at least 690 people in connection with related incidents.
Candidates, especially frontrunner Lee, have faced threats. Lee has been wearing a bulletproof vest and installed bulletproof glass at campaign rallies due to threats on his life. Police have also counted 11 cases of social media posts threatening Lee and one threatening the New Reform Party's candidate.
The vote is anticipated to conclude months of political turmoil in South Korea, where a divided public has mobilized in support and opposition to the impeached Yoon.
Enrichment Data Integration: The latest polls indicate that Lee Jae-myung leads the presidential election race, with support ranging from 42.9 percent to approximately 49.2 percent, according to Gallup polls and surveys. Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jun-seok have not been highlighted in polls, with specific numbers not provided in the search results. For a comprehensive view of the polling numbers, consult detailed polling data from sources like Gallup Korea or Wikipedia's list of opinion polls for the 2025 South Korean presidential election.
- Breaking news reports suggest that the upcoming South Korean presidential election is filled with war-and-conflicts, as candidates face threats and fraud conspiracy theories surface.
- The general-news landscape is abuzz with the record breaking early voting numbers in South Korea, with more than a quarter of eligible voters already casting their ballots.
- Amidst this political upheaval, crime-and-justice issues have also come to the forefront, with reports of vandalism of campaign materials and arrests connected to related incidents.
