Voter turnout for S. Korea's 21st presidential election at 77.8% as of 7 PM

Up next, our Lee Eun-hee is standing by at the National Election Commission.

Eun-hee, bring us up to speed how voter turnout looks like at this hour.

Good evening, Jung-min. As you say, I'm at the National Election Commission in Gwacheon City, where officials are keeping track of the voter turnout.

It's been over 13 hours since the polls opened this morning at 6 AM.

Over 30 million people have cast their ballots for the 21st presidential election, and as of 7 PM, the voter turnout is 77-point-8 percent, which includes early voters.

Figures by region are as of 7 PM.

Gwangju is showing the highest total voter turnout at 82-point-9 percent.

The lowest turnout is on Jeju Island at 73-point-4 percent.

Jeollanam-do Province, which showed the highest early voter turnout rate, is at 82-point-8 percent.

Daegu, which had the lowest early voter turnout, now stands at 78-point-3 percent.

Busan is at 76-point-5 percent while Incheon stands at 76-point-2 percent, and Daejeon stands at 77-point-2 percent.

The capital Seoul is seeing a turnout of 78-point-3 percent.

Gyeonggi-do Province stands at 77-point-8 percent, while Jeollabuk-do Province is at 81-point-5 percent.

For other provinces, turnout in Chungcheongbuk-do is 75-point-7 percent, Chungcheongnam-do 74-point-5 percent, Gyeongsangbuk-do 77-point-4 percent, and Gyeongsangnam-do 77-point-1 percent.

So far, the hourly voter turnout has been slightly higher than in the 2022 presidential election, with record levels reached at several points, the highest ever for a Korean presidential election.

The 2022 election ended with a final turnout of 77-point-1 percent with polls closing at 6 PM.

However this year's snap presidential election will end two hours later, at 8 PM.

With voter turnout already surpassing the previous final figure, all eyes are now on whether the turnout for the 21st presidential election will exceed 80 percent.

Right and Eun-hee when might we learn about the result of this latest election?

Yes, Jung-min.

Once the voting ends at 8 PM, the ballot boxes will be sealed and taken to counting centers under police escort.

Counting begins soon after, and the National Election Commission expects counting to be finished by around 6:00 AM Wednesday morning.

The result should become clear by midnight, once 70 to 80 percent of votes are counted.

However, final results of course may take longer depending on voter turnout and how close the race is.

Once counting is done, the NEC will hold a full committee meeting in which the new president will be formally declared.

This meeting is expected to happen between 7 and 9 AM on Wednesday, and the process should only take 5 to 10 minutes.

The new president's term will immediately begin.

On Monday, Noh Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission, urged active voter participation, emphasizing the importance of creating a united South Korea through voting.

Noh assured the public that the NEC has prioritized transparency, highlighting measures such as 24-hour CCTV at early voting stations and a vote paper inspection system, both implemented in last year's general election.

Authorities are focusing on safety management as well.

The National Fire Agency has launched special emergency operations at over 15-thousand polling and counting stations nationwide, running until ballot counting ends.

Also, this morning at 6 AM, police declared the highest level of emergency alert, mobilizing all available personnel.

This heightened readiness will continue until the new president's inauguration is complete and he arrives at his office on Wednesday.

Around 60-thousand officers are assigned to polling station security, 45-thousand to ballot transport, and 7-thousand to counting center protection.

That's all I have for you.

Back to you, Jung-min.

All right Eun-hee thank you for the latest from the National Election Commission.