The Continuing Choice of the People... "Hope to Become a President Who Unites the Nation as One"

Reduced Voter Turnout Compared to 6 AM
Concerns Raised Over Poor Management Crisis

On the morning of the 9th, the main voting day of the 20th presidential election, citizens lined up to vote at the Godeung No.1 polling station in Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Seongpil Jo @gatozz

[Asia Economy reporters Seongpil Cho and Byungseon Gong] The people's choice has begun. At 10 a.m. on the 9th, at the No. 1 polling station in Godeung-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province, citizens continued to arrive to cast their precious votes. The total number of eligible voters at this polling station is 4,604. During the early voting held over two days from the 4th, 2,335 people had already completed voting. On this day, 2,246 voters, excluding those voting at home or on ships, were scheduled to vote.

The line at the polling station was not long. An election official said, "Many people voted early, and since it is just after breakfast time, there are not many citizens." According to the Paldal-gu Election Commission, as of 10 a.m. that day, 407 of the total eligible voters had voted. The voter turnout was 18.12%.

At the same time, the line at the No. 3 polling station in Imun 1-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, was shorter compared to the early morning hours. About 70 people lined up when voting started at 6 a.m., but by 8 a.m., more than half had left the line. At the No. 4 polling station in Hwikyung 2-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, about 20 citizens were waiting to vote. In some nearby polling stations, voters could vote immediately without waiting.

Although it was a holiday, many office workers voted before going to work, and middle-aged and older citizens hurried to finish voting due to concerns about COVID-19 amid the Omicron surge. Citizens lined up after having their temperatures checked and sanitizing their hands. After verifying their IDs and signing, they received ballots, voted in the booths, and left. Mr. Park (65) said, "I came out at a time when I thought there would be fewer people because of concerns about COVID infection."

On the morning of the 9th, the main voting day of the 20th presidential election, around 8 a.m., citizens are lining up to vote at the 4th polling station in Hwikyung 2-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul.

Many citizens described this presidential election as one where they had to choose the "lesser evil." Mr. Lee (51) said, "Honestly, this is the first election where there is no one to choose," calling it "a sad self-portrait of our politics." Mr. Kang (35) said, "I came to the polling station thinking I should choose someone who is at least a little less strange."

Regarding the next president, many citizens hoped for "national unity." Mr. Cho (57) said, "I hope a president who will make the people happy will emerge," adding, "The political conflicts have divided the people, and many feel fatigued because of it." Mr. Kim (60) also said, "The frame where Jeolla Province supports the Democratic Party and Gyeongsang Province supports the People Power Party still continues," and added, "I hope the next president will unite the divided people."

There were also voices expressing concerns about the poor management incidents that occurred during the early voting. However, the general atmosphere among citizens was that the people's choice is especially important at times like this. A woman in her 70s said, "It is true that the management of this election was poor," but added, "Even though one of my legs is disabled, I came to the polling station in the morning to exercise my precious right." Mr. B, a man in his 20s, also said, "I feel uneasy because the election management was not properly conducted, but I think we have to vote to get the policies we want."

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