| A voter casts a ballot for the 20th presidential election at Namgu District Office in Daegu on March 9. Yonhap |
Voter turnout estimated at 77.1 percent; core loyalists align to their candidate
By Ko Dong-hwan
Lee Jae-myung of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) were neck and neck in Wednesday's presidential vote, according to the early vote-counting results and two exit polls.
According to the National Election Commission (NEC), as of 1 a.m., with about 59 percent of ballots counted nationwide, Yoon had 48.48 percent of the vote against Lee's 48.06 percent,
An exit poll conducted jointly by three local broadcasters – KBS, MBC and SBS – showed that Yoon, 61, a former prosecutor-general, won 48.4 percent of the votes and the ruling party candidate with 47.8 percent. The poll has a plus or minus 0.8 percentage point margin of error.
In a separate exit poll conducted by broadcaster JTBC, Lee, 57, a former Gyeonggi Province Governor, is expected to garner 48.4 percent of the votes compared to Yoon's 47.7 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.
The exit poll by the three broadcasters showed that Lee drew overwhelming support from the Jeolla provinces and voters in their 40s. He earned 83.7 percent of votes from South Jeolla Province, 83.3 percent from Gwangju, and 82.6 percent from North Jeolla Province.
Yoon, on the other hand, enjoyed markedly strong support in the Gyeongsang provinces and by those in their 60s. Over 72 percent of voters in Daegu, 72.1 percent in North Gyeongsang Province, and 57.8 percent in Busan supported him.
The region-specific trend was also visible in the result of the other exit poll conducted by JTBC. Lee received the support of 86.5 percent of voters in Gwangju and South Jeolla, whereas 71.8 percent of voters in Daegu and North Gyeongsang supported Yoon.
The broadcasters' exit poll also showed that over 60 percent of voters in their 40s supported Lee compared to Yoon's 35.4 percent. But among those in their 60s, 67.1 percent supported Yoon compared to 30.8 percent for Lee.
Another contrasting result came from those in their 20s, as each gender group was more inclined towards a different candidate. Among male voters, 58.7 percent supported Yoon, while 58 percent of female voters supported Lee.
JTBC's exit poll showed a similar result. Yoon received 56.5 percent of votes from male voters aged 18-29, while 60.2 percent of female voters of the same age group supported Lee.
The exit poll showed voters in the greater Seoul area remain divided in their choice of candidates. Yoon is ahead of Lee in Seoul, while Lee is slightly ahead of Yoon in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.
According to the NEC, as of 7:30 p.m., total voter turnout was estimated at 77.1 percent, including 36.93 percent who participated in early voting held May 4 and 5. The turnout for the previous election in 2017 stood at 77.2 percent, and the highest turnout ever in the presidential election was 89.2 percent in 1987.
The NEC is expected to confirm the election result Thursday morning. If the winner is confirmed, a presidential transition team will be formed within two to three weeks. The president-elect will be sworn in as Korea's new leader on May 10 for a five-year tenure which will end on May 9, 2027.
Voting began across 14,464 polling stations nationwide at 6 a.m. and continued until 6 p.m., Wednesday, after which voters infected with the coronavirus cast their ballots at the polling booths from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
| Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea speaks to a crowd near Hongik University in Seoul's Mapo District, March 8. Yonhap |
Whoever is elected as the country's new leader, the new president will face various issues ranging from deepening social conflicts to slowing economic growth and diplomatic challenges involving major countries.
Most of all, the new leader will have to place top priority on integrating a country that was sharply divided during the past 22 days of campaigning. As polls taken before the election show, the nation was poles apart between those who support the liberal DPK and the conservative PPP and finding a common ground between them seems to be tough due to huge differences between the two sides on most issues.
During the presidential election campaigning that started in 2021, the two major parties and their candidates, Lee Jae-myung of the DPK and the PPP's Yoon Suk-yeol, traded salvos with verbal attacks so harsh and groundless many called this campaign "the ugliest presidential election ever."
Other variables were at play during the latest election.
Due to the highly-contagious trait of the Omicron variant, the country once again saw record-breaking daily COVID-19 infection cases on Election Day, surging by 140,000 from the previous day to over 342,000. The health issue is one of the concerns that might affect the country's overall voting rate as increasing members of the public are shunning public places including polling stations.
The NEC made blunders during the early voting period, when workers at several polling stations in Seoul, Busan and Daegu collected ballots from coronavirus-infected voters in plastic bags, cardboard boxes and other unofficial containers rather than letting them cast their votes directly in designated ballot boxes.
That drew the ire of COVID-19 infected voters who mistrusted what the officials will do with their ballots. Lawmakers from both the PPP and the DPK also criticized the agency's chairperson Noh Jeong-hee for the mishap.
A large forest fire in the country's mountainous region on the east coast that has been continuing for days also disrupted the voting process.
As of Wednesday, the fire has burned or affected a total of over 18,671 hectares of woodland near Gangneung and Donghae, and displaced some 420 people. While 70 percent of the fire has been controlled as of Wednesday morning, the blaze still continued in Uljin and Samcheok in North Gyeongsang Province. The local governments arranged buses so that those who lost their homes in the fire and are temporarily staying in local community centers can get to polling stations.
| Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party speaks to the crowd at Dongmun Market on Jeju Island, March 8. Yonhap |
The campaigns for this year's election by the two front-runners have been particularly raucous and characterized by mudslinging compared to previous ones. It left an impression that both candidates concentrated more on finger-pointing than on persuading voters with their pledges and future policies.
Surprising moments also decorated the election season.
Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party, who joined Yoon's election camp earlier this month, aroused both hope for the PPP's supporters and animosity from his own supporters who could no longer vote for him. Also, DPK chairman Song Young-gil sustained a head injury and was taken to a hospital while canvassing in Sinchon in western Seoul earlier this week when a 70-something YouTuber struck him with a hammer.
Other memorable scenes were created by the two rivals as they implored for votes on streets.
Lee wore a taekwondo uniform and broke a wooden board written with "COVID Crisis" with a punch, raised his leg high to show a "booster kick" as his message to fight against the pandemic, and even sang in front of crowds of his supporters.
Yoon threw a right uppercut punch in the air as his signature motion wherever he campaigned. He never forgot to discredit Lee in front of people, too.
"The DPK lawmakers are threatening to impeach me after I get elected," said Yoon while campaigning in Jeju Island on March 8. "But I say, 'Let them do it, I have my supporters behind me'!"