First-Day Early Voting Turnout for June 3 Local Elections Hits Record High of 11.6%

On the first day of early voting for the 9th nationwide local elections, the turnout rate reached 11.6%, marking the highest figure ever recorded for a local election in South Korea.

According to the National Election Commission, a total of 5,180,486 out of 44,649,908 eligible voters cast their ballots during early voting held from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 29.

On the 29th, the advance voting day for the 9th nationwide local elections, travelers visiting the early voting station set up at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport are lining up to cast their votes. 2026.5.29 Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang

This is the highest first-day early voting turnout ever recorded for a local election. It is 1.42 percentage points higher than the previous record of 10.18% set on the first day of early voting during the 8th local elections in 2022.

The region with the highest turnout on this day was Jeonnam at 22.31%. It was followed by Jeonbuk (19.39%), Gangwon (14.37%), and Gwangju (14.19%).

In contrast, the lowest turnout was in Daegu at 9.02%, followed by Gyeonggi (9.78%), Incheon (10.15%), and Busan (10.68%). The turnout in Seoul was recorded at 11.22%.

Early voting will continue until May 30, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. To participate in early voting, voters must bring valid identification and visit an early voting station.

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