▲ People cast their ballots at a polling station in Cheongju, about 110 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 30, 2026, the second and final day of early voting for the June 3 local elections. (Yonhap)
▲ People wait in line to cast their early votes at a polling station in Sejong, some 110 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 29, 2026, ahead of the June 3 local elections. (Yonhap)

local elections-early voting

S. Koreans hit polls on last day of early voting for June 3 local elections

SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) -- South Koreans headed to the polls Saturday on the second and last day of early voting for next week's nationwide local elections and parliamentary by-elections, widely seen as a referendum on President Lee Jae Myung's first year in office.

More than 5.95 million people, or 13.35 percent, out of 44.6 million registered voters cast their ballots as of 9 a.m. after early voting began at 6 a.m. the previous day, according to the NEC.

The voter turnout was higher than the 11.81 percent recorded at the same time on the second day of early voting for the 2022 local elections.

Up for grabs are 16 mayoral and gubernatorial posts, along with 227 heads of local governments and some 4,000 members of local councils.

Eyes are also on the parliamentary by-elections that will fill 14 vacant National Assembly seats, with political heavyweights, such as Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), vying for positions.

In a poll released by the NEC last Thursday, 73.6 percent of respondents said they will definitely vote in the upcoming elections. Of them, 39.4 percent said they intended to cast ballots during the early voting period.

The upcoming elections are widely viewed as the first major nationwide vote for the Lee administration since it took office last June after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted over his failed martial law bid.

Both the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the PPP have been rallying voters to hit the polls this week, with the former urging the public to make a stern judgment on what it calls the "remnants" of Yoon's insurrectionist forces.

Recent polls, however, indicate that races are tightening in more regions than earlier expected, despite the DP's hopes for a landslide victory.

The Seoul mayoral election has shaped up to be a fierce two-horse race between incumbent Oh Se-hoon of the PPP and ruling party candidate Chong Won-o.

A Hankook Research poll released Monday showed Chong leading with 42 percent against Oh's 36 percent.

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