South Koreans head to polling stations Wednesday to elect local government leaders and council members in the ninth nationwide local elections.
Voting runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 14,288 locations across the country. Voters will choose 16 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, 227 local government heads, 3,973 local council members and 16 education superintendents. By-elections for 14 National Assembly seats are also being held.
A record 10.49 million people cast ballots during the two-day early voting period, for a turnout of 23.51 percent. This exceeds the 20.62 percent early voting rate recorded in the 2022 local elections.
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae urged voters to support the Lee administration and move beyond the political turmoil of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration. Main opposition People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok warned that further ruling party victories would strengthen President Lee Jae Myung's grip on power.
Key battlegrounds include the Seoul mayoral race between incumbent Oh Se-hoon of the PPP and Democratic Party candidate Chong Won-o, as well as contests in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province. Analysts note that overall turnout and conservative voter consolidation could decide several close races.
