Early voting in election to take place this week

Korea will hold early voting in the upcoming presidential election on Thursday and Friday, allowing voters to cast their ballots in advance anywhere in the country, the election watchdog said Wednesday.

A total of 3,507 polling stations throughout the country will remain open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Polling booths will also be set up at major ports, including Incheon International Airport and Seoul Station to help enhance accessibility for voters. They will also allow voters to cast their ballots before possibly embarking on a trip over the three-day weekend created by Children’s Day, which falls on Friday, the NEC noted.

Early voting is separate from absentee voting, which began Monday for a four-day run, and is designed to allow any eligible voter to cast their ballots in advance if they wish to as a way of boosting voter turnout rates.

In the latest parliamentary elections held last year, 12.2 percent of all eligible voters, or 21 percent of those who cast their ballots, took part in early voting, according to the NEC.

Yonhap