Overview
- Early voting over May 29–30 reached a record 23.51 percent nationwide, the National Election Commission confirmed, with turnout especially high in southwestern provinces and lower in conservative southeastern strongholds.
- During early voting on May 29 President Lee Jae Myung briefly left a polling booth holding an unfolded, stamped ballot while asking an election official about the stamp's validity, a moment captured on camera.
- The People Power Party filed a police complaint naming Lee and National Election Commission officials on grounds that the exposed ballot and the commission’s handling violated the Public Official Election Act.
- The National Election Commission has said Lee’s conduct did not amount to a legal breach, and police have received the PPP complaint and may open an investigation into both the president’s actions and election officials’ duties.
- The dispute has intensified campaign messaging — rival parties offer opposite readings of the early turnout — and observers say the June 3 contests, which include 16 mayors and governors plus multiple by-elections, will be treated as a referendum on Lee’s first year with potential effects on party momentum and policy debates after the vote.