South Korea's Local Elections Tight, 6.86 Million Voters Have Already Voted Early

Residents queue up to vote early at the Sejong TPS, South Korea, on May 29, 2026, ahead of the June 3 local elections. (Photo: Yonhap)

JAKARTA - South Korea's local elections have begun to attract attention. As of Saturday at 11.00, more than 6.86 million voters have cast early votes to determine local heads and council members.

According to a Yonhap report quoted on May 30, the South Korean National Election Commission or NEC recorded the figure as equivalent to 15.38 percent of the 44.6 million registered voters. Early voting began Friday at 06.00 and lasted two days.

The early voting is an opportunity to vote before the main election day. The participation rate this time is higher than the 2022 local elections. At the same time on the second day of early voting, the participation was recorded at 13.65 percent.

The local elections on June 3 will determine 16 mayors and governors, 227 heads of regional governments, and about 4,000 local council members. Important positions such as Seoul and Busan are also contested.

President Lee through X called on citizens to use their right to vote. He called the vote a "vital artery" of democracy.

"Surrendering to voting is the same as giving up your future and that of your family," Lee wrote, quoted by Yonhap. "Not voting does not mean being neutral, but siding with those who destroy your life and community."

Lee and First Lady Kim Hea Kyung cast their ballots early Friday at a community center near Cheong Wa Dae.

This election is the first major national vote for Lee's administration since he took office last June. Lee became president after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached over a failed military emergency.

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) are both encouraging voters to go to the polling stations. Yonhap reported that a number of polls showed that competition in some areas was tighter than initially expected.

In Seoul, the battle for the mayor's seat is a duel between incumbent Oh Se-hoon of the PPP and ruling party candidate Chong Won-o. An incumbent means an official who is currently in office and running for re-election.

The Hankook Research survey released Monday showed Chong ahead with 42 percent, while Oh had 36 percent.

In Daegu, a traditional conservative base, PPP candidate Choo Kyung-ho is in a tight race with DP candidate Kim Boo-kyum. Ace Research's survey for Daegu MBC showed Choo ahead with 47.1 percent, while Kim got 45.7 percent.

In Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, DP candidate Chun Jae-soo is ahead of incumbent PPP Park Heong-joon in several polls this week. Park is seeking a third term.

Attention is also turning to parliamentary by-elections to fill 14 vacant seats in the National Assembly. By-elections are votes to fill vacant posts before the term ends.

One of the big names fighting is Han Dong-hoon, the former leader of the PPP. In the Buk-A constituency, Busan, Han is running as an independent candidate. He is competing with Ha Jung-woo, a former presidential secretary for artificial intelligence policy and future planning, as well as former PPP lawmaker Park Min-shik.

According to the NEC poll released last Thursday, 73.6 percent of respondents said they would definitely vote. Of that number, 39.4 percent intend to use their voting rights in the early voting period.

The higher initial turnout makes this local election worth watching. The results will be an early measure of the political strength of Lee's administration after the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol.