South Korea’s presidential election had its highest turnout in nearly three decades.
Voter turnout reached 79.4%, the highest since the 1997 election, according to the National Election Commission on June 4th. Lee Jae Myung of the Democratic Party won and officially started his term at 6:21 AM that same day.
Lee received about 17.29 million votes (49.42%), followed by Kim Moon Soo with 14,40 million votes (41.15%) and Lee Jun Seok with 2.92 million (8.34%).
Before the election, many stars in the entertainment world showed support for voting, while others were careful not to stir up political controversy.
On May 3rd, Lee Dong Wook posted on a fan platform: “If you think there’s no one worth voting for—remember, voting is about stopping the worst. If there’s no best choice, pick the next best. If not, choose the lesser evil.”
Yoon Eun Hye also shared a photo from in front of a voting station on her social media, writing, “Everyone, let’s be sure to vote today.” Park Bo Young posted a photo confirming she had voted.
Idol singers with large fan bases were especially cautious about their gestures as the election approached. At a May 19th fan signing event, RIIZE member Eunseok unintentionally gave a thumbs-up, and Shotaro gently pressed down his thumb to make it a fist. Anton also drew hearty laughter by quickly lowering his hands after making a V-sign. ATEEZ members Wooyoung, Seonghwa, and Hongjoong shared voting selfies on their Instagram stories.
G-Dragon posted an Instagram story on May 29th with the caption “Off to L.A.”One photo had blue lighting, and another showed a red moon. Some fans joked that he was trying to stay politically neutral, since red and blue represent different parties.
Lee Je Hoon said he had become more careful with colors and gestures during a May 2nd interview for his movie Big Deal. Wearing black, he said, “I don’t want things to be misunderstood, so I’m holding back. Lately, I mostly just send heart signs,” he said with a laugh.
BTS’s J-Hope also kept things neutral by wearing all black in a photo of him voting early on May 29th.
IU wore soft, neutral colors to the votes and told fans on her platform, “It’s election day—don’t forget your precious vote.”
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Kim Go Eun confirmed she voted by simply posting a photo of a sign pointing to the early voting station, with no caption.
Meanwhile, some stars stirred controversy. Rapper Beenzino drew attention for wearing a red outfit with the caption “World Reddi Day,” which some took as politically suggestive.
aespa’s Karina also faced backlash after posting a photo in a red outfit with the number “2,” leading to online criticism and even a boycott of a brand she promoted.
