A voter casts his ballot inside a voting booth at a polling station at the library at Hongeun Middle School in Seodaemun-gu District, Seoul, on the presidential election day of May 9.
By Yoon Sojung
Photos = Jeon So-hyang, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
More than 77 percent of the total number of eligible voters have cast their ballots in the presidential election, the National Election Commission (NEC) said on May 9.
According to the election authorities, as of 8 p.m. today, 32,808,377 people, accounting for 77.2 percent of the total number of 42,479,710 eligible voters, visited the 13,964 polling stations across the nation to exercise their right to vote for their president from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. today.
This turnout surpasses that of the previous presidential election by 1.4 percentage points. That vote took place in December 2012 and saw 75.8 percent of the total number of eligible voters heading out to cast their votes.
Citizens queue up at the polling station inside the library at Hongeun Midddle School in Seodaemun-gu District, Seoul, to exercise their right to vote for the next president who will serve in the nation's 19th presidential term, on May 9.
By region, Gwangju Metropolitan City recorded the highest voter turnout of 82 percent of eligible voters, followed by Sejong City and Jeollabuk-do Province, with 80.7 percent and 79.6 percent, respectively.
The NEC predicted that results will be clear by 2 or 3 a.m., early in the morning on May 10, and that the official ballot-counting results will be finalized at around 7 a.m.
Ballot-counting for Korea's 19th presidential term takes place at the Mapo Gumin Sports Center in Mapo-gu District, Seoul, on May 9.