By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Koreans began going to the polls on Wednesday to elect members of parliament under strict safety guidance in one of the first national elections held amid the coronavirus pandemic.
About 14,000 polling stations were open at 6 a.m. (0900 GMT) around the country after disinfection, and voters were required to wear a mask and have a temperature check upon arrival. Anyone whose temperature was higher than 37.5 Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit) was led to a special booth.
All voters must use hand sanitizer and plastic gloves when casting ballots and maintain 1 meter (40 inches) distance between each other.
The election is set to decide control of parliament and shape President Moon Jae-in’s ability to push through his agenda in the final two years of his administration, including looser fiscal policy aimed at creating jobs, raising the minimum wage, and continued re-engagement with North Korea.
Globally, South Korea was one of the first countries to hold a national election since the coronavirus epidemic began, while many others postponed votes.
Once grappling with the first large outbreak outside China, South Korea has largely managed to bring its cases under control without major disruptions thanks to a massive testing campaign and intensive contact tracing.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 27 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total infections to 10,564. The daily tally has hovered around 30 over the past week, most of them from overseas travelers.
But authorities have warned that infections could resurge at any times, calling for special caution on Election Day.
As of 9 a.m. (1200 GMT), voter turnout was 8%, about 0.9% points higher than in the last parliamentary election in 2016, according to the National Election Commission. That excludes nearly 27% of the 44 million registered voters who took part in early voting last weekend.
Among them were about 2,800 coronavirus patients, for whom the NEC allowed voting by mail and set up special polling stations for early voting.
More than 13,000 in self-quarantine have signed up to vote and will be allowed to do so after other voters leave at 6 p.m. (2100 GMT)
The election campaign has taken on a different look, with candidates wearing masks and bumping fists instead of pressing the flesh and mass rallies.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
