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President Lee Jae-myung steps out of a voting booth after casting his ballot at an early voting station established inside the Samcheong-dong Community Service Center in Jongno District, Seoul, on May 29, the first day of early voting for the 9th nationwide concurrent local elections. / Photo via Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung visited the Samcheong-dong Community Service Center in Jongno District, Seoul, on May 29, the first day of early voting for the June 3 local elections, to cast their ballots. The decision by the incumbent presidential couple to vote on the very first day of the early voting window is interpreted as a strategic move to encourage broader public participation in the upcoming elections.

The presidential couple arrived at the early voting station established inside the Samcheong-dong Community Service Center earlier this morning to exercise their voting rights.

President Lee reportedly cast an early ballot designated for his home address registered in the Gyeyang-eul constituency of Incheon. Gyeyang-eul is notably one of the 14 national legislative districts undergoing a parliamentary by-election concurrently held alongside the nationwide local elections.

The Gyeyang-eul by-election features a highly competitive race, with candidate Kim Nam-joon representing the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and candidate Sim Wang-seop representing the ruling People Power Party, among others.

The Samcheong-dong polling station chosen by President Lee holds historical precedence, as it is the exact same location where former President Moon Jae-in previously cast an early ballot. Former President Moon, accompanied by First Lady Kim Jung-sook, had voted at this center during the June 13 local elections back in 2018.

At that time, former President Moon's early voting marked the first instance of an incumbent president utilizing the system since early voting protocols were officially introduced to national elections in 2013. This historical precedent reinforces why a president's early turnout continues to be viewed as a strong public message aimed at boosting voter numbers.

                                                                                                         Park Young-hoon