Early voting begins in South Korea after months of political turmoil

More than 8 million people cast ballots Thursday at the start of a two-day early voting period for the upcoming June 3 presidential election, according to local media, citing South Korea’s National Election Commission. The figure represented the highest first-day turnout for any national election since early voting began in 2014. Former presidents Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in cast their ballots early and urged voters to do the same. Six candidates are vying for the presidency, with South Korean Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo pulling ahead as frontrunners. Lee led in the most recent Realmeter survey with 49.2% of public support while Kim garnered 36.8%. Meanwhile, the minor Reform Party’s candidate Lee Jun-seok secured 10.3% support.

What led up to the election? South Korean leaders in April voted unanimously to oust former President Yoon Suk Yeol after he launched a failed attempt to impose martial law last year. He claimed the move was necessary to stop what he called pro-North Korean activities. Authorities arrested Yoon in January, weeks after he was impeached. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo took over as interim head of state following Yoon’s removal.

Dig deeper: Listen to William Inboden and Mary Reichard’s report about Yoon’s removal.