---
title: "South Koreans turn out in record numbers for early voting as presidential hopefuls vow change"
description: "South Koreans turned out in record numbers for early voting on Thursday ahead of next week's snap presidential election, official data showed, as both leading candidates urged voters to back them to change a country in crisis."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-29-south-koreans-turn-out-in-record-numbers-for-early-voting-as-presidential-hopefuls-vow-change/"
published: "2025-05-29T13:09:27"
updated: "2025-05-29T13:09:28"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 361
---

# South Koreans turn out in record numbers for early voting as presidential hopefuls vow change

> South Koreans turned out in record numbers for early voting on Thursday ahead of next week's snap presidential election, official data showed, as both leading candidates urged voters to back them to change a country in crisis.

By Reuters · Published 29 May 2025, 15:09 SAST · Updated 29 May 2025, 15:09 SAST

## Key points
- As South Korea heads to the polls amidst a political circus and economic gloom, frontrunner Lee Jae-myung urges voters to choose recovery and growth—while his rivals warn that a vote for him could spell the end of freedom, proving that in politics, hope and fear are just two sides of the same ballot.
- The June 3 election follows a political crisis after former leader Yoon Suk Yeol's ousting over a failed martial law attempt.
- Frontrunner Lee Jae-myung encourages voters to support recovery and growth amid a bleak economic outlook.
- Voter turnout reaches 19.6%, the highest for this stage in a presidential election, surpassing the previous 2022 figure.
- Opponent Kim Moon-soo warns that a vote for Lee could threaten freedom, despite closing the gap in polls.

## Content

The June 3 election comes after months of political turmoil and a power vacuum following the ouster of former leader Yoon Suk Yeol over a botched attempt to impose martial law.

The liberal Democratic Party's candidate Lee Jae-myung, the frontrunner in the polls before a blackout period banning opinion polls began on Wednesday, cast his ballot in Seoul.

"In order to overcome the current crisis... and start again as a Korea of recovery and growth, please vote," Lee said after casting his ballot alongside young voters in a university district.

His comment came after the Bank of Korea cut interest rates on Thursday and slashed its 2025 growth forecast for Asia's fourth-largest economy to 0.8% from 1.5% previously.

On Wednesday, Lee pledged to establish a new Ministry of Climate and Energy to "respond to the climate crisis", and expand and reorganise the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to promote equal rights and address any reverse discrimination.

About 8.7 million people, or 19.6% of total eligible voters, had voted as of 6 p.m. (0900 GMT), according to National Election Commission data, the highest turnout for the equivalent period in a presidential poll and compared with 17.6% in the 2022 vote.

South Korea has 44.39 million eligible voters and early voting is allowed on Thursday and Friday.

The last published Gallup Korea poll before the blackout period put Lee at 49% public support, followed by Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party with 35% and the New Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok on 11%.

Kim and Lee Jun-seok also voted on Thursday.

"Without voting, there is no hope for the country," Kim said after voting in Democratic Party frontrunner Lee's constituency.

"If you vote for (Lee), there will be no freedom for the country," he said, warning his main opponent would abuse his party's parliamentary majority.

Kim had narrowed a gap of more than 20 percentage points with Lee Jae-myung at the start of the campaign on May 12, but has failed to convince Lee Jun-seok to drop out and back him to improve his chances.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee, additional reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Ed Davies and Saad Sayeed)