President Lee Jae-myung on Thursday urged citizens to participate in voting, saying, "In a democratic republic, the silence of sovereigns and abandonment of voting gives opportunity to those who deceive the people, abuse power for private interests, and ruin the lives of me and my family."
Lee also cited the ancient Greek philosopher Plato's saying that "the price of political apathy is being ruled by the worst," and took aim, saying, "If there are politicians or political groups who find this statement uncomfortable, they are precisely the old-guard vested interests that sovereigns must overcome through voting."
The president posted these remarks on X, formerly Twitter, in the early hours of the day, urging, "Respected citizens, please participate actively in voting and clearly demonstrate that the owner of this country is the people, where power should be directed, and where the will of the sovereign lies." He added, "Please find faithful and competent individuals who will use the power entrusted by the people solely according to the people's will and only for the people, and give them an opportunity."
Lee emphasized, "Depending on the mindset, attitude, and actions of elected public officials, the world can become hell or heaven," adding, "The power of voting is stronger than you think." He reiterated that political change ultimately depends on citizen participation, emphasizing that political apathy weakens the function of monitoring power and allows unqualified political forces and public officials to seize power.
"Whether those elected become faithful servants who enrich my life, or malignant rulers who destroy the world and inflict suffering on the people, depends on the hands of the sovereign," he said again.
The day before, Lee also stated via social media, "Abandoning voting is taking the side of those who harm my life and community." In response, the People Power Party reacted strongly, calling it "divisive politics" and "election interference." Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, retorted, "Even encouraging voting is divisive politics," adding, "Aren't President Lee and the Democratic Party themselves the 'they' who harm my life and community?"
Meanwhile, early voting for the June 3 local elections concluded with a turnout of 23.51 percent, the highest ever for a local election. The National Election Commission announced that, according to preliminary tallies, 1,498,411 of the total 44,649,908 eligible voters participated in early voting, which was held from 6 a.m. on the 29th to 6 p.m. on the 30th. This is 2.89 percentage points higher than the previous record-high local election early voting rate of 20.62 percent set during the 8th local elections in 2022.
