Record-High Early Voting Turnout at 23.51% ... Ruling Party Says It Reflects a Will to Judge Martial Law, Opposition Says It Is Hard to Tell Who Benefits

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[Financial News] As early voting turnout for the June 3 local elections hit the highest level ever for a local election, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the People Power Party offered sharply different reactions. The DPK interpreted it as a sign of a "political judgment against the forces behind Martial Law," while the People Power Party said it reflected a "desire to judge the administration," adding that it is still too early to tell who will benefit. Because younger voters tend to take part in early voting, the prevailing view has been that high early turnout favors the DPK. However, some observers say the growing conservatism among voters in their 20s and 30s could also work in favor of the People Power Party.
According to the NEC on May 31, early voting for the June 3 local elections, held over two days on May 29 and 30, stood at 23.51%. That means 10,498,411 of the 44,649,908 eligible voters cast ballots. The previous local election, the 8th Nationwide Local Elections in South Korea in 2022, recorded an early voting turnout of 20.62%, up 2.89 percentage points. While it was lower than the 36.93% turnout in the 2025 South Korean presidential election and the 31.28% turnout in the 2024 South Korean legislative election, it is still a high figure given that voters generally pay less attention to local elections than to presidential or parliamentary races.
The rise in early voting turnout is widely seen as the result of both ruling and opposition parties focusing their efforts on bringing supporters to the polls. This local election is the first since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, and it has become a contest between the "stability of governance" and "judgment of the administration." With the aftermath of Martial Law and Impeachment still lingering, the DPK sees the election as a chance to signal a crackdown on the forces behind Martial Law, while the People Power Party views it as a possible starting point for a conservative comeback. For both parties' leadership, the outcome is also tied to the fate of Jung Chung-rae and Jang Dong-hyuk.
The DPK is viewing the high early voting turnout positively. Kang Jun-hyun, the party's senior spokesperson, told reporters at the National Assembly on the day that it may reflect "the public's will to politically judge the forces behind Martial Law and support the Lee Jae-myung administration's governance." DPK leader Jung Chung-rae said, "Those who vote actively are the ones who tend to use early voting, and most of the people standing in line are young voters," adding that "it is at least not unfavorable to the DPK." Since younger voters are the main participants in early voting, the analysis assumes that they are more favorable to the DPK.
The People Power Party described the final early voting turnout as a sign of a "desire to judge the administration" soon after the figure was released. Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul Metropolitan City Mayor candidate, said on May 30 that it could be interpreted as meaning that many voters are angry about the administration's failures. Jung Hee-yong, the Election Campaign Headquarters Chief, said the same day that the high early voting turnout was "a strong warning from the public to arrogant power that does not pay attention to the people." Meanwhile, leader Jang Dong-hyuk was cautious about saying whether the turnout would help or hurt his party. He suggested that the impact could vary by region and age group. He also urged people to vote on election day, saying, "Election day turnout must also rise so that the public's anger at Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party's arrogance is reflected in the vote."
Both parties are now making a final push to raise turnout as much as possible, including on election day after early voting. With political polarization fueling growing public fatigue with politics, each side is using a different strategy to bring voters to the polls. Party officials say, "The old formula that higher turnout benefits the DPK no longer holds," and add that "both parties are choosing strategies aimed at mobilizing as much of their base as possible." The DPK is urging voters to back the Lee Jae-myung administration by highlighting its policy achievements, while Jang Dong-hyuk said, "Our election strategy is to bring to the polls voters who are disappointed with the ruling party and the Lee Jae-myung administration."
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haeram@fnnews.com Lee Hae-ram Reporter