High turnout in South Korean election despite COVID-19 fears
Incumbent Democratic party set for majority win, exit polls indicate
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA—Millions of South Koreans wore masks and disposable gloves as they voted in parliamentary elections Wednesday, the highest turnout in nearly three decades despite the coronavirus.
The government resisted calls to postpone the elections billed as a midterm referendum on President Moon Jae-in, who enters the final two years of his single five-year term grappling with a historic public health crisis that is unleashing massive economic shock.
Exit polls conducted by TV stations indicated that Moon’s Democratic party and a satellite party it created to win proportional representative seats would comfortably combine for a majority in the 300-seat National Assembly.
While South Korea’s electorate is deeply divided along ideological and generational lines and regional loyalties, recent surveys showed growing support for Moon and his liberal party, reflecting public approval of an aggressive test-and-quarantine program credited with lowering fatality rates for the coronavirus compared to China, Europe and North America.
The long lines that snaked around public offices and schools followed record-high participation in early voting held on Friday and Saturday, and defied expectations of a low turnout because of fears of contracting the virus.
In an initial count, the National Election Commission said more than 17.2 million people voted Wednesday. Combined with the 11.8 million who cast their ballots during early voting or by mail, the overall turnout was 66.2 per cent, the highest since 71.9 per cent turnout in a 1992 general election.
Analysts struggled to find explanations for the unexpectedly high turnout. Some simply gave up.
“Sorry, I really don’t have any theory for this,” said Yul Shin, a professor at Seoul’s Myongji University.
“When turnouts are high, voters are usually trying to lay down judgment on a government that disappoints them. But the exit polls predict a crushing win for the ruling party.”
“We are going through difficult times, but the coronavirus and politics are two different things,” said one voter, Lee Kum.