'Day of Choice'... Main Voting for June 3 Local Elections Begins

Voting Begins at 14,288 Polling Stations Nationwide from 6:00 a.m.
Voters Must Bring Identification Issued by Public Institutions

The main voting for the 9th nationwide local elections and the National Assembly by-elections began simultaneously on June 3 at 14,288 polling stations across the country.

On the 3rd, the day of the 9th nationwide local elections, voters are casting their ballots at Samsung 2-dong 3rd polling station set up at Eonju Middle School in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The main vote, which takes place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on this day, can only be cast at the polling station assigned to a voter's registered address, unlike early voting.

The location of polling stations can be checked not only via the voter information notice delivered to each household, but also through the 'Voter List Inquiry System' operated by local governments or the 'Polling Station Finder' service on the National Election Commission website.

This local election will select a total of 4,227 officials nationwide: 16 metropolitan mayors and governors, 16 superintendents of education, 227 heads of basic local governments (si, gun, gu), 933 metropolitan council members, and 3,035 basic council members. Simultaneously, by-elections are being held in 14 electoral districts, including Pyeongtaek-eul in Gyeonggi Province and Buk-gap in Busan, to fill vacant National Assembly seats.

The right to vote is granted to citizens who are at least 18 years old as of election day (born on or before June 4, 2008). Voters must bring a valid government-issued ID such as a resident registration card, passport, or driver's license. For mobile IDs, verification is only accepted by running the official application on-site; screenshots or stored photos are not recognized as valid.

Most voters will receive seven ballot papers. However, voters in Sejong and Jeju, which do not have basic local governments or basic councils, will each receive four ballot papers. In regions holding National Assembly by-elections, voters receive one additional ballot paper.

When marking ballots, voters must use the marking tool provided in the polling booth. Ballots marked with any other writing instrument, ballots marked for more than one candidate, or marks outside the candidate area will all be considered invalid, so caution is advised.

Taking photographs inside polling stations and encouraging voting within 100 meters of a polling station are also strictly prohibited.

When voting ends at 6 p.m., the National Election Commission will seal the slot of each ballot box and secure it with a special seal that leaves a mark if removed. The ballot boxes are then escorted by the election officials and observers, with police accompaniment, to 258 counting centers nationwide.

The ballot counting results will be released in real time by polling district through the National Election Commission's website. The outlines of the elected candidates are expected to emerge as early as midnight.

However, in closely contested districts, the winners may not be determined until around 3 a.m. on June 4.

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