Early Voting Turnout Hits 7.0% in the Morning... All-Out Effort to Rally Supporters in Three-Way Race

3 Million Already Voted
Record Early Voting Turnout Expected
Lee Jaemyung: "Stern Judgment on Rebellion Forces"
Kim Moonsu: "No Hope Without Voting"
Lee Junseok: "Stand on the Side of Truth"

Early voting for the 21st presidential election began simultaneously at 3,568 polling stations nationwide on May 29, and the final early voting turnout is expected to reach a record high, considering the enthusiasm for participation on the first day. Presidential candidates Lee Jaemyung of the Democratic Party, Kim Moonsu of the People Power Party, and Lee Junseok of the Reform New Party are all closely monitoring the high early voting rate, each interpreting the trend in a way favorable to their own campaigns.

On the 29th, when early voting for the 21st presidential election began, travelers visiting the early voting site set up at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 lined up to cast their votes. 2025.5.29. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

According to the National Election Commission, as of 11:00 a.m. on this day, the early voting turnout stood at 7.0%. This means that more than three million voters have already participated in the 21st presidential election. This turnout is the highest nationwide figure for this time of day since the early voting system was first introduced for nationwide elections in the June 4, 2014 local elections.

After early voting began at 6:00 a.m., turnout continued to set new records. It started at 1.21% at 7:00 a.m., reached 2.24% at 8:00 a.m., 3.55% at 9:00 a.m., and 5.24% at 10:00 a.m. The early voting rate was about 1 percentage point higher than the corresponding time during the 20th presidential election, which had also seen high early voting participation.

The candidates each called on voters to participate. Candidate Lee Jaemyung cast his early vote in the university district of Sinchon, Seoul; candidate Kim Moonsu voted in Incheon Gyeyang, which is Lee Jaemyung's constituency; and candidate Lee Junseok participated in early voting in Dongtan, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, which is his own constituency.

The Democratic Party believes that a high early voting turnout could lead to an overwhelming victory. The party points out that supporters in their 20s to 50s may not be able to vote on the main election day due to academic or work commitments, making their early votes especially important. Both early voting days fall on weekdays, and the week of the main election day includes a series of holidays. Candidate Lee Jaemyung emphasized the importance of combining early and main voting, saying, "The most important thing is the total of early and main voting," and appealed, "I urge the public to participate in the vote and sternly and strongly judge the forces behind the wrongful rebellion."

On May 29, the first day of early voting for the 21st presidential election, travelers visiting the early voting station set up at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 cast their votes before departure. 2025.5.29. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The People Power Party is also placing high expectations on early voting, as the early voting rate among its core support base?the elderly?is rising. The party argues that the idea that high early voting turnout favors the progressive camp is no longer relevant. In the 20th presidential election, the early voting rate was 36.93%, but former President Yoon Sukyeol was elected. Accordingly, all co-chairs of the People Power Party's election committee personally participated in early voting, working to boost the turnout. Candidate Kim Moonsu stressed during a campaign event in Incheon, "If you do not vote, there is no hope for this country," and urged, "Vote early today or make sure to vote."

Candidate Lee Junseok is also in urgent need of early voting support from his base. After refusing to unify candidacies, he faced calls to withdraw from the race due to remarks about women's bodies. Observers note that a high turnout is essential for him to complete the race with legitimacy. At a press conference at the National Assembly on the morning of May 29, Lee Junseok appealed, "Early voting begins today," and asked, "Stand on the side of truth, not lies."

Meanwhile, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister for Education Lee Jooho encouraged citizens to exercise their right to vote after casting his early ballot at the Samcheong-dong Community Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of May 29. The previous day, Lee had visited the polling station at the Jongno 1, 2, 3, 4-dong Community Center to inspect preparations for early voting, stating, "There must be not even the slightest error; it must be fair." He added, "For the election to be fair and transparent, the role of municipal government officials working at polling sites is more important than anything else," and requested, "Please do your utmost to manage early voting so that every citizen can conveniently exercise their valuable right to vote."

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