Ruling and opposition parties appeal for support until the last moment... 'Verbal attacks' and tense exchanges continue

Handonghun "Low voter turnout, fellow citizens please come out"
Lee Jaemyung "Lack of stamina... No repeat of 0.7% defeat"
Opposition Jung Cheong-rae post... Ruling party "Treating elders like burdens"

As of 4 p.m. on the 10th, the voter turnout for the 22nd general election was recorded at 61.8%.

According to the official turnout tally announced by the National Election Commission, out of a total of 44,280,011 eligible voters, 27,376,09 had cast their votes. This is 2.1 percentage points higher than the turnout at the same time during the 21st general election held four years ago. The final turnout in the last general election was 66.2%. As of 4 p.m., the region with the highest turnout was Jeonnam, recording 65.5%. It was followed by Sejong (65.2%), Gwangju (63.7%), Seoul and Jeonbuk (63.4%). Conversely, the lowest turnout was in Jeju, which remained at 57.5%.

Handonghun, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Lee Jaemyung, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (right)

Party leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties are appealing for support until the last moment. Since the results in closely contested areas could determine the final number of seats, they believe it is crucial to bring even one more voter to the polling stations. The People Power Party expects to secure 110 to 130 seats including proportional representation, while the Democratic Party anticipates at least 151 seats.

Han Dong-hoon, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, stated on the party’s Facebook, "The turnout is significantly lower than the last general election, and some regions are recording the lowest turnout by district." He listed areas with low turnout such as Jung-gu in Busan, Michuhol-gu in Incheon, Dong-gu in Daejeon, and Heungdeok-gu in Cheongju, Chungbuk, urging "Fellow citizens residing in these areas, please come out to the polling stations now."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, posted a graph showing the nationwide turnout trend on his Facebook, saying, "The turnout curve is flattening, so please encourage voting until the very end," and emphasized, "We must not repeat a 0.7% defeat due to lack of stamina."

Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party, urged on SBS Radio, "Regardless of which party you vote for, please come out to the polling stations and exercise your sovereign right." He added, "Since it is election day, I don't expect major variables. I have some hope because the early voting rate was high, but we must do our best to increase turnout until the end. The turnout for the 21st general election, which the Democratic Party won overwhelmingly, was just over 65%," he emphasized.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Jeong Cheong-rae, Supreme Council member, are conversing during the government questioning session at the National Assembly plenary meeting on the 22nd. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Screenshot from Jeong Cheong-rae, Senior Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea's Facebook page

Accusations between parties have not ceased even until the day of the main vote. Jeong Cheong-rae, Democratic Party candidate for Mapo-gu Eul, Seoul, wrote on his Facebook that morning, "Transporting elderly people to polling stations is also a violation of election law, punishable by up to 7 years in prison," urging, "Let’s keep a sharp eye and monitor closely."

In response, the Public Relations Team of the People Power Party’s Central Election Countermeasures Committee issued a statement criticizing Jeong’s post, saying, "He treated the elderly like cargo," and "The Democratic Party, which belittles and restricts the precious right to vote, will face the judgment of the people." The team added, "It seems to refer to a case where the head of an elderly care center in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, helped a mobility-impaired senior safely move to the polling station by vehicle," and sharply criticized, "Through Jeong, the Democratic Party’s deep-rooted prejudice against the elderly has been revealed once again."

Jeong countered by sharing a list of articles with the same headline as his post, stating, "I captured the headlines from conservative media articles as they are to point out that this is also a violation of election law and to encourage proper monitoring." He explained, "The content of the articles also urges compliance with election law, and I am advocating for strict monitoring of any violations." He further demanded, "Is the People Power Party suffering from dyslexia? Withdraw your statement and apologize," and warned, "We will take strong legal action against malicious slander and the spread of false information."