The liberal Democratic Party’s candidate Lee Jae-myung, the frontrunner in the polls before a blackout period banning opinion polls began on Wednesday, May 28, cast his ballot in Seoul.
“In order to overcome the current crisis… and start again as a Korea of recovery and growth, please vote,” Lee said after casting his ballot at a university district in the city.Read More: OpenAI to open office in Seoul amid growing demand for ChatGPT
His comment came after the Bank of Korea cut interest rates on Thursday, May 29, and slashed its 2025 growth forecast for Asia’s fourth-largest economy to 0.8% from 1.5% previously.
On Wednesday, May 28, Lee pledged to establish a new Ministry of Climate and Energy to “respond to the climate crisis”, and expand and reorganise the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to promote equal rights and deal with any reverse discrimination.
Some 3,107,164 people, or 7% of total eligible voters, had voted as of around 11 am, according to National Election Commission data, the highest turnout for the equivalent period in a presidential poll and compared with 5.38% in the 2022 vote.
South Korea has 44.39 million eligible voters and early voting is allowed on May 29 and 30.
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The top three candidates based on the last published Gallup Korea poll before the blackout period put Lee at 49% public support, followed by his main conservative rival Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party with 35% and another conservative candidate, the New Reform Party’s Lee Jun-seok, on 11%.
Kim and Lee Jun-seok also voted on Thursday, May 29.
Kim had eroded what was a more than 20% gap with Lee Jae-myung at the start of the campaign on May 12, but has failed to convince Lee Jun-seok to drop out and back him to improve his chances.
