Casting Precious Votes at Early Polling Stations
with Hopes for "Economic Stability" and More
Ballot box at the Buldang1-dong early voting station set up in the main conference room of Cheonan City Hall on the 29th. Photo by Park Jonghyuk
"I hope a president will emerge who can stabilize the livelihoods of the people and calm the current political turmoil."
At 9 a.m. on the first day of early voting for the 21st presidential election, which fell on the 29th, citizens began arriving early in the morning at the early voting station set up at the Hongseong Dairy Cooperative Headquarters in Hongbuk-eup, Hongseong, Chungnam.
Kim, a 47-year-old voter whom we met in front of the early voting station around 9:30 a.m., said, "The country is in a state of confusion, so I came to vote in hopes of electing a president who can bring political stability and economic prosperity to ordinary people."
On the 29th, citizens lined up to cast their early votes on the 2nd floor of the main conference room at the Hongseong Dairy Cooperative Headquarters in Hongbuk-eup, Hongseong, Chungnam. Photo by Pyo Yoonji
Choi, a 39-year-old voter who came with her child in a stroller, said, "Before sending my child to daycare, I put on a hat and headed out to vote," adding, "After experiencing the martial law situation, I realized the importance of the presidency, so even though I'm busy, I made time to come here."
As of 9 a.m., about 20 voters were lined up at the polling station to cast their ballots. Those whose resident registration address was in Hongseong waited in the line on the right, while those from outside the area waited on the left.
According to election official A, as of 10 a.m., the number of early voters was tallied at 1,000 from within the district and 450 from outside the district.
Citizens lined up to vote at the early voting site in the main conference room of Cheonan City Hall on the 29th. Photo by Park Jonghyuk
At the Buldang1-dong early voting station set up in the main conference room of Cheonan City Hall, office workers also continued to arrive in the morning on their way to work.
Inside and outside the polling station, there were few family voters with children, and most voters were office workers in their 30s to 50s, who headed straight to work after voting.
There were also cases where voters, thinking they were eligible for in-district voting, ended up casting an out-of-district ballot. Early voting is available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. anywhere in the country, regardless of one's registered address, as long as the voter presents identification.
A man in his 30s, whom we met in the city hall parking lot, said, "Life has been tough, so I haven't paid much attention to politics. But I realized that if I want to live well, I need to care, so I came out to vote."
Tension around the polling stations increased as some conservative YouTubers and groups announced plans to monitor early voting sites in pairs and broadcast their activities. However, according to the Chungnam Election Commission, as of 9 a.m. that day, no incidents had been reported.
The election commission stated that they would do their utmost to maintain order and protect voters both inside and outside the polling stations, and that they would immediately intervene in the event of any disruptions or acts of interference with the voting process.
Meanwhile, according to the National Election Commission, as of 9 a.m. that day, the nationwide early voting turnout averaged 3.55%.
Polling booth set up on the 2nd floor of the main conference room at the Hongseong Dairy Cooperative headquarters in Hongbuk-eup, Hongseong, Chungnam on the 29th. Photo by Pyo Yoonji
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