Early Voting Rate Hits 1.7% at 9 a.m.... Jeonbuk Turnout Higher Than Four Years Ago

A 0.11 Percentage Point Lead Compared to Four Years Ago

Jeonbuk Sees Largest Increase with 0.88 Percentage Points Up

Daegu Records Nation's Lowest Turnout at 1.24%

On the first day of the 9th National Local Elections, the early voting rate stood at 1.70% as of 9 a.m.

According to the National Election Commission, 758,381 out of a total of 44,649,908 eligible voters participated in early voting, which began at 6 a.m. on May 29. This is 0.11 percentage points higher than the early voting rate of 1.59% recorded at the same time during the 8th local elections four years ago. While it is lower than the 9 a.m. early voting rates of the 21st presidential election last year (3.55%) and the 22nd general election in 2024 (2.19%), it marks a slightly stronger start compared to previous local elections.

By region, Jeonnam posted the highest early voting rate at 4.12%. It was followed by Jeonbuk at 3.16%, Gangwon at 2.22%, and Gwangju at 2.08%. On the other hand, Daegu recorded the lowest rate at 1.24%, with Gyeonggi at 1.36%, Incheon at 1.42%, and Busan at 1.44%. Seoul recorded 1.57%.

On the first day of early voting for the 9th National Local Elections on the 29th, soldiers are casting their votes at an early voting center set up at Hannam-dong Community Center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. 2026.5.29 Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Compared to four years ago, the increase in early voting rates is particularly notable in the Honam region, a stronghold of the Democratic Party, while the Yeongnam region, where the People Power Party has traditionally had strength, actually saw a decline. Jeonbuk saw the largest increase, up 0.88 percentage points from the 8th elections, while Jeonnam (up 0.74 percentage points) and Gwangju (up 0.75 percentage points), both of which are set for administrative integration, also posted higher rates than in the previous elections. Daegu and Gyeongbuk recorded rates of 1.24% and 1.83%, down 0.18 and 0.31 percentage points, respectively, compared to the last local elections. The Seoul metropolitan area showed a similar trend to the previous election.

Early voting is being held nationwide from May 29 to May 30, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. at 3,571 polling stations. The final early voting rate for the 8th local elections was 20.62%, while the 22nd general election posted 31.28%, and the 21st presidential election recorded 34.74%.

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