Seoul, June 3
Voter turnout for South Korea's presidential election has surpassed the 70 per cent mark, 10 hours after voting began early Tuesday, the election watchdog said.
Of the total 44.39 million eligible voters nationwide, 31.73 million, or 71.5 per cent, had cast their ballots as of 4 p.m., according to the National Election Commission (NEC). Voting began at 6 a.m. at 14,295 polling stations across the country and will go on till 8 p.m.
The provisional tally includes the votes cast in early voting, as well as overseas, shipboard, and absentee ballots.
The turnout was the highest recorded at the said time of day in any presidential election, news agency reported.
More than 15.42 million, or 34.74 per cent of the registered voters, had cast their ballots in the early voting held on Thursday and Friday. It was the second-highest figure since early voting was introduced in 2014.
The election takes place exactly six months after Yoon declared martial law in a surprise announcement that evoked dark memories of past military regimes and plunged the nation into the worst economic and political crisis in decades.
Lee Jae-myung, the candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, campaigned on a pledge to overcome the "insurrection forces" led by Yoon in the wake of his impeachment and removal from office less than three years into his five-year term.