‘I broke my ankle, but came out to vote’: Koreans share their Election Day stories

General election 2024

Published: 10 Apr. 2024, 13:14 Updated: 10 Apr. 2024, 16:52

‘I broke my ankle, but came out to vote’: Koreans share their Election Day stories

A mother and her daughter take a celebratory photo after voting at a polling station in Daegu on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

On Election Day, Koreans stood in line at thousands of polling stations nationwide to cast their votes. Those who did not participate in early voting hurried to nearby stations to choose who would represent their districts for the next four years.

“I think voting is everyone’s responsibility as a citizen in a democracy,” said Lee Hyun-taek, an office worker in his 30s who came out to the Seogyo-dong polling station in Mapo District, western Seoul, early Wednesday morning to cast his vote. “You lose the right to complain about how things are turning out later if you haven’t voted before, in my opinion.”

“I was worried the line would get too long if I came out late, so I made it out early,” said another voter surnamed Choi, a man in his 60s who had brought his young grandson with him to the polling station in Seogyo-dong. “I wanted to show my grandson how voting works and he seems to have enjoyed the formal atmosphere here.”

Even those who saw themselves as apathetic about politics made it out to one of the 14,259 polling stations to cast a precious vote.

Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Sangdo-dong in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

“I don’t even read a lot of news related to politics usually, to be honest, but I felt that this was the least I should do,” said a woman in her 40s surnamed Kim, who was waiting in line outside the polling station set up inside Seoul Inwang Elementary School in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, on Wednesday. “I think a lot of people, including myself, are very disappointed in politicians and feel fatigued regarding the state of affairs in our country. But that doesn’t mean that you should give up on voting, too.”

“I initially planned to vote during the early voting last week but I had to do a lot of work, so I am voting now before I make use of the rest of the day to go on a trip with my family,” said Park Sang-hoon, another voter who cast his ballot at Seoul Inwang Elementary School. “Of course, I hope the candidate I picked gets elected, but even if that candidate doesn’t make it, I hope whoever does win does his or her best for the good of the area.”

Broken limbs weren’t an obstacle that couldn’t be overcome for voters to make it out to polling stations.

“I broke my ankle weeks ago, but of course, I came out to vote,” said Lee Min-seon, a university student who made it out to the Yongmun-dong polling station in Yongsan District, central Seoul, around noon on Election Day. “I hope to see some change, especially in policies relating to the low birthrate and supporting young women in the work environment.”

Voters walk into a polling station in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Some voters had to find the right polling station where their addresses were registered after going to the wrong station, causing minor confusion.

“I thought this was the right place, but apparently, unlike early voting where you can just go to any nearby station to vote, you have to find the specific polling station where you’re registered,” said a woman who had come out of the Seogyo-dong station looking slightly dejected. “I have to go to the Hapjeong-dong station now,” she said as she hurried away.

A voter takes a photo after casting her vote at a polling station in Yeonhui-dong in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

For those between the ages of 18 and 20, this general election is the first time they are voting. The excitement that comes from the fact that they are old enough to vote and participate in democracy is something completely novel to them, according to voters.

"This was my first time voting, and I felt like I finally became a Korean adult," said Choi Hyeon-su, a university student who voted at a polling station near his home in Paju on Wednesday. "I read through the leaflets introducing candidates' policies and tried to make an objective decision. My friends and I also talked a lot about the elections since it's the first time for all of us, and we said it's important to participate in leading our country. The voting process was more simple than I expected, and I hope a lot more people go to polling stations to vote.”

Voters line up to cast their ballots at a polling station in Bangbae-dong in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Outside of large cities, voters living in remote areas traveled by boat to the nearest polling station to cast their ballots. In Odae-ri, North Chungcheong, a peninsula-like area surrounded by a lake and cut off on the northern end by a mountain, residents took a boat ride across the lake to make it to a polling station.

Near Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang, a boat carrying voters from the nearby Ogogdo Island was left stranded due to an engine problem for 20 minutes before the Coast Guard was able to remove the passengers to another nearby island, Haglimdo.

Residents of Jangbyeongdo, an island off of Sinan-gun in North Jeolla, arrive via boat in Sinan-gun to vote in the general election on Wednesday. [YONHAP]