On the first day of the early voting for the 21st presidential election on the 29th, the final turnout recorded 19.58%, setting a new high.
Compared to the last presidential election, the early voting rate in the Honam region rose overall, surpassing 30%, while Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK) showed a declining trend, remaining in the 10% range.
The National Election Commission noted that among the total of 44,391,871 eligible voters, 8,691,711 voted during the early voting held from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day.
This is the highest early voting rate recorded on the first day since early voting was first implemented in national elections in 2014. The day's turnout of 19.58% is 2.01% higher than the early voting rate of 17.57% on the first day of the 2022 presidential election. In the 20th presidential election, 7,767,735 people exercised their voting rights on the first day of early voting.
By region, Honam, known for its distinct progressive orientation, recorded the highest early voting rate in the country. Jeonnam (34.96%), Jeonbuk (32.69%), and Gwangju (32.10%) all surpassed the 30% mark. Sejong followed with 22.45%.
The voter turnout in Yeongnam, which has strong conservative support, was somewhat lower. Daegu and Gyeongbuk were recorded at 13.42% and 16.92%, respectively. Gyeongnam (17.18%), Busan (17.21%), and Ulsan (17.86%) also remained in the 10% range.
Compared to the last 20th presidential election, the changes in voter turnout on the first day of early voting in Honam and Yeongnam clearly diverged.
In Honam, Jeonnam (28.11%), Jeonbuk (25.54%), and Gwangju (24.09%) all saw an increase in early voting rates compared to the last election, while the TK (Daegu and Gyeongbuk) region showed a declining trend. Gyeongbuk dropped from 20.99% to 16.92%, a decrease of 4.07%, and Daegu also decreased from 15.43% to 13.42%, a reduction of 2.01%.
The metropolitan area, regarded as the major battleground and barometer of public sentiment, generally did not exceed 20%. Seoul recorded 19.13%, falling short of the national average, but showing a slight increase compared to 17.31% during the 20th presidential election.
The early voting rate in Incheon was recorded at 18.40%, while Gyeonggi Province, which attracted the most voters nationwide, recorded the lowest figure among the metropolitan area at 18.24%. However, both regions saw increases compared to the last election (Incheon 15.56%, Gyeonggi 15.12%).
Additionally, Gangwon recorded 20.83%, Jeju 19.81%, Chungbuk 18.75%, Daejeon 18.71%, and Chungnam 17.93%.