What is happening now in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania?

[Anchor]

The U.S. presidential election is now just a week away.

We still do not know who will become the president.

It is a very close race.

KBS correspondent is in Pennsylvania, which is considered the key battleground.

The early voting enthusiasm here is very high, so let’s connect to her.

Joo Hye-jin, where are you right now?

[Reporter]

I am in front of Philadelphia's City Hall, the largest city in Pennsylvania.

It is just a little past 8 AM, and the early voting station set up at the City Hall will open soon.

Yesterday afternoon, the voting enthusiasm was so high that there was a long line extending outside the City Hall.

Let’s hear directly from the voters.

[Catherine Heaster/Harris supporter: "I have been so upset every day by the things that Trump has been saying. So I wanted to vote early."]

[Clinton Rinaldi/Trump supporter: "I’m afraid of what happened in the last election. There's a lot of doubt, so I wanted to be sure that my vote is counted."]

Pennsylvania has the most electoral votes among the seven battleground states, with 19 electoral votes at stake.

In the last presidential election, this state supported Biden, while in 2016, it chose Trump.

Although it is called a microcosm of public sentiment, the polling results are extremely close.

[Anchor]

So, if the early voting rate is high, which side would it favor?

[Reporter]

So far, about 40 million people across the U.S. have participated in early voting, showing a high turnout rate.

Typically, early voting rate is higher among Democrats, but this year, there are battleground states where Republican early voting rate is also high.

As the early voting results are being closely watched, a fire, suspected to be arson, broke out at some mail-in ballot boxes in certain states, damaging hundreds of ballots, prompting an investigation by authorities.

In Pennsylvania, the Republican Party has also filed lawsuits related to mail-in voting, indicating potential aftershocks following the election.

This has been Joo Hye-jin reporting from Philadelphia for KBS News.