[21st General Election] Over 13,600 Nationwide Self-Quarantined Voters Apply, 22.8% Participation

Voting Booth Exit Allowed from 5:20 PM to 7:00 PM

On the 14th, one day before the 21st National Assembly election, officials are disinfecting at a separate voting booth for those with fever symptoms and self-quarantined individuals at Cheongun Elementary School, the first polling station in Cheongunhyoja-dong, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Among the 59,918 citizens under self-quarantine to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), 13,642 people, accounting for 22.8%, have applied to vote in the 21st National Assembly election.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 15th that from the 1st to 6 p.m. on the 14th of this month, they received voting applications from voters who were confirmed cases, contacts, or overseas entrants notified of self-quarantine by local government health centers, who showed no COVID-19 related symptoms and were eligible to vote domestically.

By region, Seoul had the highest number of applicants with 4,518, followed by Gyeonggi Province with 4,286 self-quarantined individuals applying to vote.

Next were Busan with 837, Incheon 735, Daegu 474, Gyeongnam 462, Chungnam 352, Gyeongbuk 326, Daejeon 290, Ulsan 243, Chungbuk 234, Gangwon 225, Jeonbuk 186, Gwangju 168, Jeonnam 117, Jeju 110, and Sejong 79 people expressing their intention to vote.

Regarding the percentage of self-quarantined individuals who applied to vote, Seoul was the highest at 27.2%, followed by Busan 25.2%, Gyeonggi 24.9%, Ulsan 24.8%, Incheon 21.7%, Chungnam 21.3%, Sejong 20.8%, Daejeon 20.0%, Chungbuk 18.6%, Daegu 17.8%, Gwangju 17.1%, Jeju 16.8%, Gangwon 16.7%, Gyeongnam 15.8%, Jeonbuk 14.4%, Gyeongbuk 12.1%, and Jeonnam 10.6%.

Among self-quarantined individuals, overseas Koreans who had registered or applied for overseas voting or who do not have domestic resident registration were excluded from the domestic voting target for this general election. However, those who entered the country before March 31 and registered for return voting are eligible to vote.

Also, those whose travel time from the quarantine location to the designated polling station is 30 minutes or more one way by car or on foot are excluded from voting. This is because longer travel times increase contacts and make it difficult to control movement routes.

Self-quarantined individuals who applied to vote are allowed to go out for voting from 5:20 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the day. Those permitted to go out must comply with personal hygiene rules such as wearing masks and move to the designated polling station by car (no passengers allowed) or on foot, and must report departure from the polling station, arrival at the waiting area, and return home via the self-quarantine app.

If they do not have the self-quarantine app, they must report their movement status via text message or other means to the dedicated self-quarantine staff at the polling station.

To separate movement routes from the general public, self-quarantined voters wait at a nearby separate waiting area (outdoor or well-ventilated place) instead of the designated polling station and vote at a temporary voting booth after the general public voting has ended.

Self-quarantined individuals who applied to vote but do not come to the waiting area or fail to report before or after will be strictly dealt with for unauthorized departure based on movement route analysis. Also, those who come to the polling station without prior voting intention declaration will be considered as unauthorized departure from self-quarantine, so caution is advised.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety emphasized, "Failure to comply with self-quarantine voting rules may be considered a violation of self-quarantine compliance and may result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.