Korean Celebrities Advocate for Voting as Presidential Election Sees High Turnout

As the final voter turnout for the 21st presidential election in South Korea is provisionally reported at 79.4%, various stars from the entertainment industry have made impactful statements encouraging civic participation.

On June 1, actor 이동욱 (Lee Dong-wook) shared on the fan communication platform Bubble, "I voted on the first day of early voting. I will be filming on the day of the main vote. Early voting is convenient; the lines are short." He further emphasized, "I always tell you that voting is about preventing the worst. If the best option isn't available, choose the next best, and if that's not an option, choose the least bad to avoid the worst outcome."

The call for voting continued with singer 이상순 (Lee Sang-soon), who, during his June 3 appearance on MBC Radio's 'Perfect Day with Lee Sang-soon,' responded to a listener's comment about enjoying a day off by stating, "It's not a day off; it's voting day. You can vote and then relax. It's a day to skip work to vote."

On the same day, comedian 김신영 (Kim Shin-young) also spoke on MBC Radio's 'Hope Song at Noon,' saying, "Today is the day of the 21st presidential election. I hope the voter turnout increases. Anyone over 18 can vote. Voting is scarier than guns or knives. Please exercise your precious right. Don't forget to bring your ID!" She added, "When there's leisure, comedy thrives. I hope we can have more comedic content and return to the days when we could laugh without being overly critical. Let's all vote; the greatest right is the right to vote. Let's look around and make a decision. Everyone, let's do our best!"

Actress 김선아 (Kim Sun-ah) also shared a post after voting on June 3, stating, "Voting is not just about choosing someone; it's about voting to prevent someone from being elected," delivering a strong and significant message.

In addition to these stars, many others, including 임시완 (Im Si-wan), the couple 도경완 (Do Kyung-wan) and 장윤정 (Jang Yoon-jung), 윤은혜 (Yoon Eun-hye), 정가은 (Jung Ga-eun), 이민우 (Lee Min-woo), 박보영 (Park Bo-young), 강말금 (Kang Mal-geum), 아이유 (IU), 제이홉 (J-Hope), 이은미 (Lee Eun-mi), 신기루 (Shin Gi-ru), and 이채연 (Lee Chae-yeon), posted their voting selfies to encourage participation.

According to the National Election Commission, as of 8 PM on June 3, a total of 35,244,416 out of 44,391,871 registered voters participated in the election. This figure includes the early voting turnout of 34.74% recorded on May 29-30, along with votes from overseas, on ships, and absentee ballots.

This provisional turnout marks the highest in 29 years since the 14th presidential election in 1997, which had a turnout of 80.7%. However, it is important to note that early voting was not conducted in the 15th to 18th presidential elections.