South Koreans begin early presidential vote
South Korea has commenced a two-day early voting period for a snap presidential election following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office due to his controversial declaration of martial law. As of Thursday morning, approximately 2,328,108 voters, or 7% of the 44.39 million eligible voters, had cast their ballots, marking the highest early voting turnout in the nation's history for a presidential election. Early voting will continue through Friday, with polling stations open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time.
The election is scheduled for June 3, coinciding with a public holiday, and voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Preliminary results are expected to be released that evening or the following day. This election was necessitated by the Constitutional Court's decision to uphold Yoon's impeachment in April, which required a new election to be held within 60 days.
Leading the polls is Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party, who was polling at 49% before the blackout period. His main rival, Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party, trails with 35%, while New Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok holds 11%. The election takes place amid economic challenges, with the Bank of Korea recently lowering interest rates and revising the 2025 growth forecast from 1.5% to 0.8%.
Lee has proposed the establishment of a Ministry of Climate and Energy and a reorganization of the Ministry of Gender Equality to address pressing societal issues. The official campaign period will run until June 2, with the inauguration of the new president scheduled for June 4. This election is seen as a critical moment for South Korea as it seeks to navigate political instability and economic uncertainty.
