'Conservative Heart' Daegu Records Lowest Early Voting.. Low in Yeongnam, High in Honam

[Financial News] 'Conservative Heart' Daegu is recording the lowest voter participation rate among major regions nationwide in the early voting that began on the 29th. Major cities in the Yeongnam region, including Daegu and Busan, are recording below-average early voting rates. On the other hand, the Honam region showed the highest early voting rate.
According to the Central Election Management Committee's tally on the 29th, as of 12 p.m. on the first day of early voting, 3,861,415 out of 44,391,871 eligible voters participated, recording an 8.7% turnout. This is 1.59 percentage points higher than the same time early voting turnout (7.11%) of the 2022 presidential election, which was the highest in history (36.93%).
By region, Jeonnam was the highest at 17.33%, followed by Jeonbuk (15.75%) and Gwangju (14.64%), which are strongholds of the Democratic Party, significantly exceeding the average. In contrast, Daegu recorded the lowest at 5.63%, and Yeongnam's conservative strongholds such as Busan (7.32%), Ulsan (7.45%), Gyeongbuk (7.54%), and Gyeongnam (7.56%) were below average, creating a contrast. In the capital region, the biggest battleground, Seoul (8.34%), Incheon (8.03%), and Gyeonggi (7.97%) all fell slightly below the average.
Each party's leadership is focusing all efforts on encouraging voters to participate in early voting. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate, voted with four young people in their 20s in Sinchon, Seoul, a university district. The strategy is to draw young supporters to the polling stations.
Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party candidate, voted in Incheon Gyeyang, Lee Jae-myung's constituency. He expressed his intention to consolidate conservative support and expand the support base by entering the 'stronghold' of the opposing camp. The People Power Party's campaign committee explained that it is an intention to achieve a reversal like the Incheon Landing Operation. Lee Jun-seok, the Reform New Party candidate, voted in Dongtan, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, his constituency. It is to emphasize the support base in the capital region and among young people and to highlight the 'Dongtan Model' as a winning formula.
Meanwhile, this presidential election is being held amid unprecedented slander and lawsuits against the opposing candidates. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd TV debates were more like slander battles than debates. Additionally, the Democratic Party filed 93 cases against the People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo's camp for spreading fake news. The People Power Party also counter-filed against Lee Jae-myung for false information disclosure, and both sides are continuing legal battles. Lee Jun-seok, the Reform New Party candidate, was also accused by civic groups and individuals of various charges, including slander against candidates and insulting women. Conversely, candidate Lee is also determined to actively counter false accusations against those who abuse political lawsuits.  



rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter