South Korea begins early voting for June local elections

South Koreans began casting ballots Friday in a two-day early voting period ahead of nationwide local elections scheduled for June 3. The elections, the first major nationwide vote since President Lee Jae Myung took office last June, are widely viewed as a midterm referendum on his administration's first year.

Voters can cast ballots at any of 3,571 polling stations across the country from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday, regardless of their registered residence. More than 44.6 million citizens are eligible to vote, including over 151,000 foreign residents who meet permanent residency requirements. As of 11 a.m. Friday, turnout for the local elections was 3.81 percent, a rate higher than that recorded at the same time during the previous local elections in 2022.

President Lee and First Lady Kim Hea Kyung were among the early voters, casting their ballots at a polling station in Seoul for their registered constituency in Incheon. Senior leaders from both the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party also visited polling stations to encourage participation.

The elections will determine 16 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, 227 local government...