[LIVE] KOREA VOTES (2026-06-03)

Added: 2026-06-03

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[00:02:07]Hello and welcome to our noon edition of Adidang News on this June 3rd election day. I'm Punji.

[00:02:14]As the ninth nationwide local elections continue across the country today, voters are heading to polling stations to cast their ballots. Voting began at 6:00 a.m. and will continue until 6 pm today. We have our correspondent at a polling station in Soul. So, what's the atmosphere like there at this hour?

[00:02:34]Good afternoon. I'm standing outside community center in the Tongjaku district in Ho. It's just afternoon, so we can see the polling station is crowded with lunchtime voters. I got to speak with some voters today.

[00:02:50]>> We wanted our vote to help make the country a better place and think voting is something everyone should do. We are expecting a child and that's expensive.

[00:02:59]So, we paid close attention to policies related to childcare support and family welfare.

[00:03:06]Now that we're expecting a child and both working, issues like maternal leave are especially important to us. We hope there will be greater efforts to improve and better promote these benefits for working families.

[00:03:19]>> What's most important is electing a capable mayor for I believe voting is one of the most important responsibilities. I'm over 70 years old now and I've never missed an election.

[00:03:32]>> Right. So, there is about six hours left before voting closes. For those who haven't had the chance to vote yet, are there any tips to keep in mind?

[00:03:42]>> Yes, Inji. So, in order to vote, the most important thing is identification.

[00:03:47]Voters must bring a governmentissued valid ID card or mobile ID app. Unlike early voting where voters could visit any station, uh today they can vote only at their designated station which is based on their residency address. Your station can be checked on the National Election Commission website or in the notice that was mailed to your home. For foreigners, you can vote if you have permanent residency here in Korea, but you have to have lived in the country for at least 3 years. Lastly, voters are not allowed to take photos of their ballots inside polling stations. Marking more than one candidate will also invalidate your ballot. That's all I have at Tangong. Back to you, Lindsay.

[00:04:26]>> All right, that was our correspondent Tong reporting from a police station in Hole.

[00:04:32]>> And for more on how this year's election is playing out, let's turn again to our Pakonu at Adidang's extended reality studio. So, Konu, tell us more.

[00:04:43]Welcome back to Adidang's extended reality XR studio to take a closer look at voter turnout.

[00:04:50]So, starting with voter participation, according to data from the National Election Commission, as of 11:00 a.m., voter turnout stood at 15%.

[00:05:00]That's 3 percentage points higher than the previous election. Out of the 44,649,98 eligible voters, that is those born on or before June 4th, 2008, and also excluding early voters, over 6.7 million people cast their ballots as of 11:00 a.m. today. And now that's it's just past 12. Even more voters will have cast their ballots across the country. The National Election Commission will announce the final voter turnout after voting ends at 6:00 p. a.m. today with the potential turnout rate to be released at around 8:00 p.m.

[00:05:35]Now, moving on to the hourly breakdown of voter participation. Polling stations opened at 6:00 a.m. today, and the first official turnout figure released at 7 a.m. stood at 2%. That's 3 percentage points higher than four years ago. Now, the rate had climbed to 4.5% at 8:00 a.m., also climbing to 7.4% 4% by 9ine and rising for at least more than nearly 4 percentage points. So 11% at 10:00 a.m. and actually rising 4%ish points at 11:00 a.m. by 15%. We can see that the number of ballots cast has been increasing with each passing hour. And adding to that momentum is this year's record high early voting turnout of 23.51%.

[00:06:21]And that figure will be reflected in the overall turnout from 1 pm.

[00:06:26]Now we turn to the voter turnout by region. Of the country's 16 cities and provinces, Tego City showed the highest by nearly 19%, exactly 18.9%.

[00:06:38]And Tego typically sees high voter turnout on election days, while turnout during early voting is comparatively low. We also have Kawanda province uh in the upper region at 17.7% and we also have Kongangto province 17.6% the next highest after Keu city. At the other end of the spectrum we see that Chonamu United Special City at 11.4%.

[00:07:05]We also have Chlabukto province 11.9% whilst Hjong City in the middle is 12.9%.

[00:07:13]Regions in the Chado provinces in Kangju City see comparatively low participation on election day as more people vote early.

[00:07:21]If we take a closer look at some of the key battleground areas including five regions that both the ruling Democratic Party and People Power Party have chosen as crucial to the race. Starting with soul voter turnout turns we see that 14.3% has voted in their area. Also in Kong the province, one of the most populous areas in the country, 14.5%.

[00:07:47]And if we come down a little bit, we have Kyong Nam province standing at 17% right now. Also in Busan City, the second largest Kore city in Korea, 15.5%.

[00:07:59]Oran city 16 and Teu also at 18.9%.

[00:08:05]And finally, let's take a look at voter turnout in previous local elections. In each of the past five elections, voter turnout has exceeded the 50% mark. The highest turnout over the past two decades was recorded in 2018 during the seven local elections, which is 60.2%.

[00:08:23]That means 60 more than 60% of eligible voters cast their ballots during that time. The most recent election saw the lowest turnout finishing just above 50%.

[00:08:33]However, with this year's early voter turnout running nearly 3 percentage points higher than in the previous election, attention is now on whether overall voter turnout will also surpass the previous figure.

[00:08:45]And we'll get a clearer picture after 100 p.m. And that's when early voter voting ballots are incorporated into the official turnout tally. And we'll be back at 4 p.m. Korea time with more updates. Back to you, G.

[00:08:58]>> All right, thank you for that.

[00:09:01]With closely contested races unfolding across major cities, provinces, and key parliamentary districts, our Isu Jin takes a closer look at the key battleground races and what's at stake.

[00:09:14]It's election day with several key races still neck andneck. Here's a look at the candidates and why these contests are garnering attention nationally.

[00:09:24]We begin with the local elections which will shape regional leadership for the next four years.

[00:09:30]The spotlight is on this hormir race in the capital city. A closely watched contest between of the people power party and tongu of the democratic party.

[00:09:41]To describe this whole meal race in one sentence, a showdown between a four-term conservative incumbent with 10 years of experience and a progressive local administration expert who served 12 years as a three-term district head. The focus is also on the governor race in Kongo, the nation's most populous province, where Chum of the Democratic Party, a six-term lawmaker and former justice minister, is facing off against Yan Hunga of the People Power Party, the first female executive as Hams Electronics's semiconductor division. As for this race, it's garing attention as it is guaranteed to produce South Korea's first ever female provincial governor. And as for the meal race in Busan, the nation's second largest city and a traditionally conservative stronghold, Tonjesu of the Democratic Party, a three-term lawmaker who resigned from the his parliamentary seat to run for mayor is facing off against Pakunjin of the People Power Party, the incumbent mayor. The Busaname race marks a high stakes battle as a popular progressive candidate seeks to break into a long-standing conservative stronghold.

[00:10:52]The final local election we want to highlight is a governor contest in Kangwando, a traditionally conservative province where Usangu of the Democratic Party of veteran politician and former four-term lawmaker is taking on incumbent governor Kim Jinte of the People Power Party. The key significance here is it has become a closely watched battle as a high-profile progressive figure seeks to make inroads into a traditionally conservative border province.

[00:11:19]Alongside the local elections, bi-elections for 14 National Assembly seats are also underway. A closely watched bi-election is the one taking place in Busan's Busan Puk a district after three-term DP lawmaker Chongu stepped down to run for mayor of Busan.

[00:11:36]The race in the key swing district features Hajong of the Democratic Party, a former presidential secretary on AI against former minister Pang Mishik of the People Power Party and high-profile independent candidate Handhun, a former PPP floor leader. To describe the significance of this race in one sentence, a closely watched battle because it has transformed into a highstakes three-way battlefield with a split conservative vote.

[00:12:06]The National Assembly bi-election in Kongo, Pangekb, home to the massive Samsung electronics pong semiconductor campus, pits former prosecutor Kimong of the Democratic Party against former lawmaker Yuong of the People Power Party and former Justice Minister Chunguk of the Chuk Innovation Party. This race has emerged as a closely watched three-week contest in one of the nation's key industrial hubs with attention focused on the split progressive vote between the ruling party candidates and the highprofile third party leader.

[00:12:40]Amid heightened political tensions and tie races across key battlegrounds, the stakes remain high in both the local elections and parliamentary bi-elections. But by the end of tonight, we'll finally see the clear map of South Korea's new political landscape.

[00:12:59]And this year's election is considered one of the country's most complex ones due to the number of local leaders chosen at once. Our Pakana reports on the detailed voting process.

[00:13:12]Coming exactly one year after the 2025 presidential election, voters in Korea are heading to the polls for the ninth nationwide local elections. In most parts of the country, eligible voters aged 18 or older will be handed a total of seven different colored ballots to elect positions, ranging from provincial governors to local council members.

[00:13:32]Voters in Seong City and on Juju Island, which operate under special administrative systems, will receive just four ballots. Some 150,000 foreign residents can vote. To qualify, foreign nationals must have held permanent residency for at least 3 years and be on their local foreigner registry. While early voting was available at any polling station nationwide, voting on election day works a bit differently.

[00:13:57]Voters must bring a valid ID card or mobile identification app and vote only at their designated polling station based on their resident registration address. As of May 12th, polling stations across the country will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. To keep things organized, the voting process is split into two rounds. In the first round, voters receive three ballots. A white colored ballot for metropolitan mayor or provincial governor. The light green ballot is to choose the superintendent of education, and the actual ballot is to elect the head of the local district, city, or county. In the second round, voters receive the remaining four ballots to select local council members. The light pink and sky gray ballots are used to elect local constituency council members at both the broader provincial and tighter district levels. Lastly, the sky blue and cream ballots are for proportional representation representatives. When voting, you must choose only one candidate or party per ballot. Marking two or more names or parties will instantly invalidate your vote.

[00:15:02]Votes will be counted immediately once the polls close on June 3rd, ushering in a new four-year term for local leaders, including the next mayor of Soul Pakan Adang News.

[00:15:15]So, voters across Korea are heading to the polls today for the country's ninth nationwide local elections. But why do local elections matter? Our Kim Juno explains more.

[00:15:27]On June 3rd, Korea holds its nationwide local elections where voters choose the leaders of their communities. While some decisions are made on a national level, everyday issues like transportation, education, and housing are often handled locally.

[00:15:43]Let's take the capital's whole as an example. Whoever wins the race for mayor will help shave the daily lives and livelihoods of more than 9 million hall residents. Backed by a budget of around 33 billion US this year, the mayor determines the direction of the city's policies and spending priorities. It's not just mayors who are elected. At the local level are heads of smaller districts, cities and counties who handle services closer to daily life.

[00:16:13]Council members are also elected at both the metropolitan and local levels to oversee government affairs. Some ballots are cast for political parties rather than individual candidates with proportional seats allocated in both metropolitan and local councils based on each party's share of the vote. The final ballot goes to a superintendent of education who oversees local education policy. Local elections are often seen as a barometer of public sentiment toward the sitting government. They can also serve as a stepping stone for future political leaders with the number of national figures having built their political careers in local office. Given their close link to community issues, some foreign residents are also ellegible to vote unlike presidential or parliamentary elections. Above all, local elections carry deeper meaning as a foundation of democracy, offering residents a direct voice in local issues. While national politics often dominates the headlines, local governments and councils can have a real impact on the day-to-day lives of local residents. Kim News Fore speech.

[00:18:34]And now for more on the broader political implications. of this year's election. We're joined today by John Deli, visiting research fellow at Ewa Miz University and senior fellow at the Asia Society.

[00:18:46]>> Dr. Dury, thanks for coming in today.

[00:18:47]>> Yeah, pleasure.

[00:18:49]>> So, for the sake of our viewers overseas, could you just briefly tell us a bit about Korea's uh current local elections and why they matter.

[00:18:56]>> Yeah, well, your correspondents have been explaining very well a lot of what is at stake. Of course, as a as a local election, it's not going to have quite the same international impact as a presidential election or parliamentary election, but uh it it is an indicator of where the country is heading. It's also a chance to test the strength of the democratic system itself. You know, we'll be talking, I'm sure, about voter turnout. That's one of the most important indicators even before we know the results. Um so, it's a chance to take a look, I would say, at the health of the democracy. um and then also get some indicators going forward in terms of party politics and maybe some personalities who could be emerging uh from this election who will be important down the road.

[00:19:38]>> Right. So Korea saw a record voter turnout during the two days of early voting last week. So both parties are interpreting the high turnout very differently. How could the strong early voting turnout affect the outcome of the election and could it lead to a high voter turnout on the election day today?

[00:19:53]It was hard to, you know, do the analytics and extrapolate from early voter uh turnout to say who's going to win this election or that election. And I think there is increasing evidence maybe in Korea and and more broadly that it's not the best indicator of a winner.

[00:20:11]Although as you say probably each party is going to you know see the result that they hope in the statistics. I think at this point what we can say is it is very encouraging to see uh the high percentage of early voter turnout and also so far in your reporting that today is going well and um and maybe the election overall uh will exceed previous years. I think that's really the key number is when you look at the composite uh turnout rate. You know, there are there are all kinds of reasons that people might vote early, practical reasons that don't have anything to do with party politics or issues. Uh and uh and those those trends can really shift every four years. And so I think we should um be hesitant about extrapolating from those percentages.

[00:20:58]Again, the important thing I think the broader significance is that the turnout rate looks high. And what that tells us is that South Korean citizens do have faith in their democratic system. They may be happy with things and want to keep incumbents in charge. Uh happy with things and want to get rid of incumbents and and send a positive message about the presidential administration, the ruling party. They may be unhappy with things, but even if they're unhappy, they are going to vote to register their frustration or disappointment. So that is a very good indicator that wherever you're falling on the political spectrum and wherever you're feeling about how things are going in terms of the direction of the country, people are voting. You know, people think it's meaningful to vote, >> right? Absolutely. And what's also important is that this is the first national election under President E.

[00:21:46]Right. And so could the results be interpreted abroad as a barometer of public support for the administration's policies?

[00:21:53]I think inevitably in terms of international coverage and uh outside you know governments non Koreans looking at this election inevitably whether it's true or not uh there's going to be an inference that this is a kind of referendum on President Ejimy that's just that's what's going to happen because when you try to get from local issues to okay what's the national and international significance the first thing that people are going to look at is did the Democratic party did the president's party do well do really well uh in these elections and if so that's going to be seen as a referendum. Of course what we're seeing in terms of international coverage is that his polling numbers are very high and so he's widely perceived as a popular as a strong president. Um and so this election will be another test. You know, on the flip side, if the Democratic Party does not do well, um, then that is going to lead to, uh, international perception of something's off, something's wrong, maybe he's weaker than was thought. So, yeah, I think at the international perspective, it's inevitably perceived as some kind of referendum on on the president.

[00:23:03]>> Right. Right. And beyond deciding local leadership, what broader polit political implications could the results have on the ruling and opposition parties at the National Assembly?

[00:23:13]>> Well, there's a lot of complicated dynamics happening on both the conservative and liberal side. I would say it seems especially as as a foreigner trying to follow these things.

[00:23:25]I think for foreign audiences it's especially complex understanding what is happening with the conservative opposition party just because obviously uh last year they they really imploded uh with the impeachment of a president who had shocked the country and frankly shocked the world by declaring martial law. So there's still I think a lot of questions about what's the future of the conservative you know movement and uh the main conservative party the PPP. So I think there will be a lot of attention including by foreign observers to try to read this election to see um what is the fate of Korean conservatism. So I think there will be a lot of scrutiny to some of the elections that you've been talking about as indicators of where that's heading. Um and of course with the election here in Seoul of of the mayor which is a nationally prominent and even internationally prominent position. Seoul is one of the world's first cities and the mayor of Seoul does have a certain international platform.

[00:24:25]Uh whichever party that figure is from will also be something that uh again at a global level will get some uh attention. Um, I think it's it's a little more orderly on the liberal end because you do have a popular uh president, you know, for the Democratic party and EJ Young, um, who looks to have, you know, consolidated his strength fairly well. Uh, but again, we'll have to see the results of these elections and if there's new questions that emerge in terms of the future of the Democratic party. But I do think there's a lot more attention uh uh about the conservative side of the ledger. H yeah, we'll have to take we and see and more on that. To what extent will foreign governments and international audiences be watching these election results? What conclusions might they draw from these results?

[00:25:13]>> Well, you know, I think we have to be realistic here in terms of foreign governments, uh, of course, they'll be monitoring this election, but in the hierarchy of Korean elections, you know, you have the presidential election, you have the the National Assembly, parliamentary elections, and you have the local elections. So um there I've seen international coverage you know the New York Times for example wrote up wrote up something a preliminary report and there will be more at that level in terms of paying attention to it but um still I think foreign governments fully understand that this is not a national election and so they're not going to um overdraw their conclusions about what it means. I think another international audience that's interesting to consider is not so much about governments but about citizens globally. you know, we are living in a a moment of history where there are serious doubts about the future of democracy itself. And if you do, you know, uh look at some of the research by political scientists, by civic organizations, again, globally, um there's real serious indicators about backsliding, democratic backsliding, loss of confidence that liberal democracies have uh in their own systems. And so, in that sense, I think this election and Korea in general is is very important. You know, Korea has a lot of soft power as we all know and it's not just limited to music and and TV and film. It's also about the political system and so showing the health, the vitality, the integrity for all its flaws like every democracy uh of the system. I think that's an important um global significance of of today. I think there are civic groups who monitor democracy are going to be paying attention to this election.

[00:26:55]>> Right. So, do these election results have any implications for Soul's approach toward North Korea perhaps or other foreign policy challenges, especially if they are viewed as a referendum on the administration's broader policy direction?

[00:27:09]>> Yeah, I think you know in terms specifically of the North Korea challenge, that's a huge challenge. That is a a a national challenge and that's not something that locally elected officials have too much room to move on.

[00:27:23]um if things were to improve in the inner Korean uh space, you could see and we've seen in the past, we saw in 2018, for example, when the relationship was better between the two Koreas, you can start to see provincial and u mayoral level engagement, you know, between the two Koreas. So, that's one space to watch. I wouldn't say that's going to happen anytime soon, but down the road if things changed at the high political level, uh you could see local involvement, uh local governments getting involved, uh in that way. Um otherwise I think again to a point we've been talking about the overall strength of uh President Ejimyong if his party does well today that's going to strengthen his hand in international negotiations in navigating what is obviously very difficult circumstances uh for South Korea dealing with the alliance with the United States uh dealing with the economic pressure coming from the Trump administration uh tariffs and and trade war um dealing dealing with with China, with this big powerful neighbor uh who Korea has a strong economic relationship but a but a complicated uh overall strategic relationship with. So, anything that strengthens the the hand of the president will make it a little bit easier for the administration to navigate some of those challenges.

[00:28:44]>> Right. Absolutely. All right. We'll have to see how that goes. Dr. Dillery, thank you so much for coming in today. We appreciate it.

[00:28:49]>> Yeah, it's a pleasure.

[00:28:54]On May 10th, 1948, we stood in lines with no end in sight, holding an unfamiliar piece of paper in our hands.

[00:29:02]It was Korea's first election held under the watch of the United Nations. A nation's longing for democracy filled the ballot boxes, driving voter turnout to a remarkable 95.5%.

[00:29:17]Since then, countless elections have come and gone. Through moments of hardship and change, one thing never wavered, our passion for democracy.

[00:29:27]And we kept asking ourselves, how can more people take part more easily?

[00:29:33]One answer was early voting. Today, all you need is your ID. On the way to work, at the airport before a trip, anywhere in the country, your vote can reach the ballot box wherever you are. Technology changed the process, too. Long nights of ballot counting gave way to faster, more accurate, automated systems, making elections more transparent and trustworthy.

[00:29:59]What once felt like a long and distant road in 1948 has become one of the closest rights we hold today. The process may be simpler now, but the weight of the vote has never changed.

[00:30:12]This June 3rd, we carry the torch of Korea's democracy to the ballot box, protecting the freedom generations fought to build.

[00:30:24]Meanwhile, over in the United States, the Trump administration says any sanctions relief for Iran will depend on Taiwan giving up its nuclear program, rejecting reports that Washington offered concessions tied to the straight of Hormuz. Our has more.

[00:30:41]US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the Trump administration has not offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for reopening the straight of Hermuz, stressing that any easing of sanctions would be tied solely to Thran abandoning its nuclear program and complying with any future agreement.

[00:31:01]>> Effective spokes.

[00:31:02]>> Iran is being sanctioned because they've highly enriched uranium. Iran is being sanctioned because of their nuclear activities. If they agree to give up those things, there will be sanctions relief associated with their commitment and compliance with those agreements.

[00:31:15]>> Rubio was testifying before Congress for the first time since the Iran conflict began as Washington continues efforts to negotiate a broader settlement aimed at reducing tensions in the region. He also addressed questions about Iran's leadership, saying Supreme Leader Moshaba Ham, who was reportly wounded during US-Israeli strikes and has not appeared publicly since taking office, is alive and becoming more engaged in state affairs. Rubio told lawmakers there are signs Ham is increasingly active behind the scenes. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts are continuing on another front. According to reports, Israel and Lebanon resumed direct talks in Washington on Tuesday with discussions scheduled to continue over two days at the US State Department. The renewed dialogue comes as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah remains a complicating factor in broader US Iran negotiations. Although Israel and Lebanon reached a US brokerage ceasefire in April, sporadic clashes have continued, raising concerns that renewed violence could undermine efforts to stabilize the region and advance negotiations between Washington and Tranjang News.

[00:32:32]Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims to have struck the US Navy's fifth fleet headquarters in Bahrain using a barrage of missiles and drones.

[00:32:41]According to Reuters on Wednesday, Teran launched the offensive as a direct retaliation for a US strike on an Iranian tanker near the street of Hormuz and a military communications tower on Keshum Island. US Central Command, however, firmly rejects these assertions. In a public statement, Zencom said that all recent Iranian attacks directed at American forces have failed and that incoming projectiles were either intercepted or fell short of their targets.

[00:33:11]US trade representative Jameson Grier has pointed to South Korea's steel industry as an example of what it calls government-driven economic intervention as the Trump administration continues to push for a new global trade framework.

[00:33:24]In an article published in the latest issue of the IMF's Finance and Development magazine, Greer questioned how South Korea, despite lacking major natural resources such as coal and iron ore, became a global steel making powerhouse. Greer argued that government interventions have distorted global trade, creating persistent trade imbalances between nations. His remarks come as the USR investigates South Korea, China, Japan, and other trading partners over alleged unfair trade practices, a move that could pave the way for additional tariffs.

[00:34:00]And now, that's all we have for this new edition of Adidang News. We'll be back at 400 p.m. Korea time. Thanks for watching.

[00:34:53]Hey, back poke.

[00:35:08]Back down back.