At this hour: Election Commission updates on by-election vote counting

[Anchor]

The by-elections for the Seoul Superintendent of Education and four local government heads have ended at 8 PM, and the vote counting is currently underway.

Let's connect to our reporter at the vote counting center in Gwanak-gu, Seoul.

Reporter Lee Yoon-woo! When do you expect the counting results to be announced?

[Reporter]

Voting took place at 2,404 polling stations nationwide until 8 PM.

If the counting proceeds smoothly, the outlines of the winners are expected to emerge between 11 PM and midnight tonight (10.16) by region.

In this election, one Seoul Superintendent of Education and four local government heads, including the head of Geumjeong-gu in Busan, the head of Ganghwa-gun in Incheon, and the heads of Gokseong-gun and Yeonggwang-gun in Jeonnam Province will be newly elected.

As of 8 PM today, the voter turnout for the Seoul Superintendent of Education election has been provisionally recorded at 23.5%.

The voter turnout for the Busan Geumjeong-gu head election was 47.2%, for the Incheon Ganghwa-gun head election was 58.3%, for the Jeonnam Gokseong-gun head election was 64.6%, and for the Jeonnam Yeonggwang-gun head election was 70.1%.

Compared to last year's final voter turnout of 48.7% in the Gangseo-gu head by-election, the voter turnout for local government head elections is at a similar or higher level.

[Anchor]

The election results will be out soon, and each electoral district has its own political significance, right?

[Reporter]

Yes, this election is a mini by-election without national assembly or metropolitan government elections, but it is the first election held since the general elections in April, so both the ruling and opposition parties are paying close attention to changes in voter sentiment.

In particular, the Busan Geumjeong-gu head election has been classified as a major battleground by both parties, so there is significant interest in the outcome.

In the case of the Jeonnam Yeonggwang-gun head election, the Democratic Party, The Rebuilding Korea Party, and the Progressive Party are all putting in a full effort to secure dominance in Jeolla Provinces, making it a litmus test for the future political landscape of the opposition in the region.

This is KBS News, Lee Yoon-woo.