Eight cities and counties, including Yangyang and Jeongseon, surpass 70%

Election workers sort ballots at a counting center set up at Hoban Gymnasium in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on Wednesday, during the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections. [Yonhap]
Election workers sort ballots at a counting center set up at Hoban Gymnasium in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on Wednesday, during the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections. [Yonhap]

Gangwon Province recorded a voter turnout of 64.5% in the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections — the second highest in the province's local election history and second only to South Jeolla Province (65.7%) nationally.

According to the National Election Commission, 850,818 of the province's 1,329,742 eligible voters cast ballots: 494,723 in person on election day and 363,295 through mail-in or in-person early voting.

Gangwon Province's turnout in past local elections began at 74.8% in the 1st election and declined through the 2nd (64.3%), 3rd (59.4%) and 4th (58.7%) before rebounding to 62.3% in the 5th. It then recorded 62.2% in the 6th, 63.2% in the 7th and 57.8% in the 8th.

This year's figure marks a 6.7 percentage point increase from the previous local elections.

Seventeen of the province's 18 cities and counties exceeded 60%, with Yangyang posting the highest rate at 72.8%. Eight jurisdictions cleared the 70% mark: Jeongseon (72.6%), Yanggu (72.3%), Hwacheon (71.4%), Yeongwol and Pyeongchang (71.2%), Goseong (70.5%) and Hoengseong (70.1%). Wonju was the only city to fall below 60%, at 59.1%.

Gangwon Province voters chose 271 officeholders in this election, including one provincial governor, one provincial superintendent of education, 18 city and county mayors, and 251 provincial and local assembly members — 221 elected by constituency and 30 by proportional representation.


joze@heraldcorp.com