South Koreans voted to elect a new parliament on Wednesday in a bitterly fought race seen by some analysts as a referendum on President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose popularity has suffered amid a cost-of-living crisis and a spate of political scandals.
Nearly 25 million people, or 56.4% of eligible voters, had cast their ballots as of 2 p.m. (0500 GMT), according to the National Election Commission, including 14 million who had voted before election day.
It marked the highest ever turnout for a parliamentary election at this point, though the numbers were down from the 2022 presidential vote that narrowly brought Yoon to power.
The opposition Democratic Party (DP), which already dominates the 300-member legislature, has accused Yoon and his conservative People Power Party (PPP) of mismanaging the economy and failing to rein in inflation during their time in office.
PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said a big win by the DP, whose leader is facing corruption charges, would create a crisis for the country. He warned against giving the opposition an unprecedented super majority of 200 seats, which would strip Yoon of his veto power.
Opinion polls have been mixed and the two major parties have said dozens of districts are too close to call but some party leaders and political analysts predict DP is likely to win a majority.
Among those voting in the capital Seoul on Wednesday, Park Na-jung, 51, said she backed Yoon’s party to help prevent the opposition from taking too much power, while Kim Ji-yun, 26, said Yoon’s government was on the “wrong path.”
Jung Cheol-min, 40, said he had decided to support a minor party, disappointed by what he felt was big parties focusing on political fights rather than competing on policies.
“I hope the two-party structure will be broken somehow, and politicians will carry out practical policies for ordinary people.”
A liberal splinter party led by former justice minister Cho Kuk has emerged a dark horse, projected to win a dozen seats to become a third-party force that can influence control of the assembly.
