'23.51%' Record-High Early Voter Turnout: Ruling Party Calls It 'Judgment on Insurrection Forces,' Opposition Says 'Judgment on Arrogant Administration'

Ruling and Opposition Parties Offer Contrasting Interpretations

As the early voter turnout for the 6·3 nationwide local elections reached an all-time high of 23.51%, both ruling and opposition parties have interpreted the results to suit their respective narratives, with one side calling it a "judgment on the forces of insurrection" and the other calling it a "judgment on the arrogant administration."

Kang Junghyun, Chief Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 31st and stated, "The highest early voter turnout in a local election, the great choice of the sovereign people, is a call for the 'competent Lee Jaemyung administration and local governments' and a 'judgment on the forces of insurrection.'"

(Sejong = Yonhap News) Reporter Juseong Kim = On the first day of early voting for the 9th nationwide local elections on the 29th, citizens are lining up and waiting for their turn to vote at the polling station set up at the Buksejong Integrated Administrative Welfare Center in Sejong City. 2026.5.29 utzza@yna.co.kr (End)

Chief Spokesperson Kang responded to the record-high early voter turnout by saying, "It seems to reflect the people's will to judge the forces of insurrection and their intention to support the Lee Jaemyung administration's governance." He added, "It appears that public interest in this local election and the by-elections is extremely high."

Lee Inyoung, Senior Election Committee Chair for Seoul mayoral candidate Jeong Won-oh of the Democratic Party, stated, "The high early voter turnout reflects the aspirations of Seoul citizens for a safer city," adding, "It is an earnest wish for the safety of the subway I ride and the overpasses my family uses, and it is also a clear judgment on People Power Party candidate Oh Sehoon's disregard for safety."

In contrast, Choi Boyoon, Public Relations Director of the People Power Party's Central Election Committee, stated in a commentary, "This record-breaking early voter turnout is a solemn order and voice from the people to prevent and keep in check the tyranny of the Lee Jaemyung administration and the unilateral dominance of the ruling party."

Park Sunghoon, also a Public Relations Director of the People Power Party, commented, "It was once said that higher early voter turnout favors the progressive camp, but now that early voting has become established, I believe that notion no longer holds. Voters who want to judge the Lee Jaemyung administration's arbitrariness and arrogance, and those seeking to protect their homes and property, have expressed their anger at the polls."

The National Election Commission announced that the early voter turnout for the local elections, held over two days on the 29th and 30th, was 23.51%, with 10,498,411 out of 44,649,908 eligible voters participating. This figure is 2.89 percentage points higher than the previous local elections in 2022 (20.62%), marking the highest turnout ever recorded for a local election.

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