SEOUL — Voter turnout for South Korea’s 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections and parliamentary by-elections has surged dramatically, raising expectations that the final numbers could break modern records and become the highest since the inception of the current local autonomy system.

According to the National Election Commission (NEC), the cumulative voter turnout reached 51.9 percent as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Out of a total of 44,649,908 eligible voters nationwide, 23,164,097 had already cast their ballots. This figure incorporates the early voting held from May 29 to 30, which saw a robust turnout of 23.51 percent, alongside mail-in and home ballots.

The ongoing momentum demonstrates a stark contrast to previous local elections. This year’s mid-afternoon turnout is 8.8 percentage points higher than the 43.1 percent recorded at the same hour during the 8th local elections four years ago. Furthermore, it sits 1.8 percentage points ahead of the 2018 elections (50.1 percent), which previously held the record for the highest turnout since the institutionalization of early voting.

If this trajectory persists through the closing of the polls, political analysts predict that the final voter turnout will comfortably surpass the 60.2 percent mark achieved in 2018. In the history of South Korean local elections, the final turnout has broken through the 60 percent threshold only twice. The all-time high remains at 68.4 percent, recorded during the historic 1st local elections in 1995 when the country fully revived its local autonomy system.

On the ground, voters of all generations are making their voices heard. At the Nongso 3-dong No. 1 polling station set up at Sangan Middle School in Buk-gu, Ulsan, Kim Sung-soon, a 103-year-old voter born in 1923, was seen casting her ballot with the assistance of election officials, symbolizing the high civic engagement marking this election cycle.

Geographically, the voter enthusiasm varied significantly across provinces and major metropolitan cities. South Jeolla Province led the nation with a striking 60.0 percent turnout by 3:00 p.m. Other high-participation areas included Gangwon Province at 57.2 percent, North Jeolla Province at 56.3 percent, and South Gyeongsang Province at 55.5 percent.

Conversely, Gwangju recorded the lowest turnout in the country at a mere 47.5 percent. Other metropolitan regions also lagged slightly behind the national average, with Gyeonggi Province registering 49.0 percent, followed closely by Incheon and Jeju Island both at 49.2 percent. The capital city of Seoul stood at 49.4 percent, hovering just below the nationwide average but showing strong steady growth as the workday neared its end.

The NEC compiles these hourly statistics in real time based on data forwarded from 256 municipal, county, and district election offices across the country.

With polling stations remaining open until 6:00 p.m., election officials are urging the remaining electorate to participate. Voters heading to the polls must bring a valid public photo identification card, such as a resident registration card, driver's license, or passport, and visit their designated polling stations based on their registered residential address.

The high turnout is viewed by experts as a reflection of heightened public interest in localized administrative accountability and the crucial parliamentary by-elections, which are expected to shift the subtle balance of power in national politics. Counting is scheduled to begin immediately after the polls close, with early configurations of winners expected to emerge by midnight.

[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]