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Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the ruling People Power Party, casts his ballot with his only daughter, Dong-joo, at the Gyeyang 1-dong Community Center in Incheon on May 29, during early voting for South Korea’s 21st presidential election. / Source: Song Ui-joo

On May 29, the first day of early voting for the June 3 presidential election, People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo cast his ballot in Incheon’s Gyeyang District with his daughter Dong-joo. Incheon’s Gyeyang-gu is considered a stronghold for Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung, as it is Lee’s constituency.

After voting at the Gyeyang 1-dong Community Center around 10:30 a.m., Kim told reporters, "I’ve voted early before, but it’s the first time I’ve done so with my daughter. It feels even more special and joyful to vote together."

Asked about the high voter turnout during the same time frame, Kim said, "It shows that public interest in this election is very high."

Regarding the failed unification talks with New Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok the previous day, Kim stated, "We are still working hard to unite as one," adding, "I will continue these efforts until the very end."

When asked about Lee Jun-seok’s disclosure of controversial remarks by Lee Jae-myung’s son, Lee Dong-ho, Kim replied, "I don’t have any particular comment on that. Personally, I haven’t focused much attention on the matter. There is already so much to say about Lee Jae-myung, but time is too short to delve into every issue."

As for why he chose to vote in Incheon’s Gyeyang-gu, Kim explained, "I started my morning in Incheon with a breakfast meeting, visited Freedom Park and MacArthur Park, and stopped by Gyeyang on the way." He added, "I came here with Minister Won Hee-ryong to vote."

When asked whether Lee Jae-myung’s connection to the area influenced his decision, Kim acknowledged, "That could be one factor, as we were already passing through."

On the state of the race, Kim said, "We’re making a final push, and I’m confident the results will turn out well. Things are improving, and in some polls, I’m even leading. The prevailing sentiment is that in order to overcome this crisis and ease economic hardship, the country needs Kim Moon-soo."

He added, "Though the campaign period was short—about a month—and I started from behind, we’ve made rapid gains in support through perseverance."

Regarding concerns over mismanagement of early voting, Kim said, "When voting is limited to just one day, some voters might miss the opportunity. Various factors can cause turnout to drop, and many statistics already reflect that. Low turnout or voter abstention is an even bigger problem."

He emphasized, "We need to address issues with early voting while ensuring that people can vote. Participating in early voting is necessary, as lower early voting turnout can drag down the overall turnout and create disadvantages. That’s why I made sure to vote today."

Earlier in the morning around 8 a.m., Kim greeted commuters on Songdo Convensia-daero in Incheon’s Yeonsu District.

"Incheon is a city that is growing in population and economy, and it’s an important and symbolic city for Korea’s future," Kim said. "I thank the citizens of Incheon, who are helping to lead Korea toward global prominence."

During the campaign event, former Minister Won Hee-ryong, who joined to support Kim, targeted Lee Jae-myung by saying, "Lee is fake in everything; Kim Moon-soo is genuine in everything. His labor activism was real, his democracy work was real, and as governor of Gyeonggi Province, he truly worked to revive the economy. Don’t be fooled by the lies of a fake."

Won further criticized Lee’s fiscal policy, saying, "He claims to revive the economy by distributing money, but as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi, his achievements were based on soaring real estate prices and the taxes collected from them, which he then used for populist spending."

Finally, Won urged supporters, "Let’s take the hands of those around us and go out to save Korea, save the economy, and save democracy, so that this country is led by genuine leadership—not one where fakes run the show."