COVID-19: major variable in S. Korea's General Elections
- 4 years ago
제21대 총선 핵심변수 '코로나19'…전문가 '투표율' 주목
Tomorrow, on Wednesday April 15th,... the nation will head to the polling stations for South Korea's 2020 General Election,... even as the country fights tooth and nail to keep the COVID-19 outbreak under control.
Guidelines have been crafted to keep voters safe, but many people are naturally concerned.
With less than a full day of campaigning to go,... our Kim Jae-hee takes a look at how the pandemic will surely be a major, but unpredictable variable,... both in terms of turnout and maybe even the result.
South Korea is holding a general election this year,… in the midst of a global pandemic.
COVID-19 has engulfed the public's attention,… and has become a prominent factor in the 2020 General Elections.
"Elections have generally been about evaluation. They always constituted characteristics of judgement. But this year, COVID-19 has engulfed Party politics. We may as well just call it the 'coronavirus election'."
The pandemic has already had a significant impact on overseas voting.
Many overseas polling stations have been suspended...resulting in a 23-point-8 percent voting rate... the lowest on record.
In contrast, early voting has reached a whopping 26-point-6-9 percent,... the highest rate so far.
But, observers of South Korean politics say it's important to keep an eye on the fifty-thousand in self-quarantine.
The government has come up with a separate voting timeline for them for safety reasons.
But it remains to be seen whether they'll show up.
"Even if those under self-quarantine want to participate,... they could feel self-conscious,... as if they're posing a threat to others. The voting time being delayed to 7PM isn't the problem,... it's whether or not they'll show up to vote."
Adding to all these uncertainties that could affect the outcome of the election,… conventional notions of voter turnout may not apply this year.
"Normally, low voter turnout results from fewer young voters. Since they are mostly swing voters,... fewer votes from them generally gives an advantage to the conservative opposition bloc. But this year, it may be the elderly that refrain from voting,... since they're more vulnerable to the virus. So the conventional notion that low voter turnout may be advantageous to the conservative bloc,... simply cannot apply this time."
"With all the uncertainty posed by COVID-19,... the pandemic is bound to have an impact on the upcoming election. BUT just how much of an impact remains to be seen.
Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News."
Tomorrow, on Wednesday April 15th,... the nation will head to the polling stations for South Korea's 2020 General Election,... even as the country fights tooth and nail to keep the COVID-19 outbreak under control.
Guidelines have been crafted to keep voters safe, but many people are naturally concerned.
With less than a full day of campaigning to go,... our Kim Jae-hee takes a look at how the pandemic will surely be a major, but unpredictable variable,... both in terms of turnout and maybe even the result.
South Korea is holding a general election this year,… in the midst of a global pandemic.
COVID-19 has engulfed the public's attention,… and has become a prominent factor in the 2020 General Elections.
"Elections have generally been about evaluation. They always constituted characteristics of judgement. But this year, COVID-19 has engulfed Party politics. We may as well just call it the 'coronavirus election'."
The pandemic has already had a significant impact on overseas voting.
Many overseas polling stations have been suspended...resulting in a 23-point-8 percent voting rate... the lowest on record.
In contrast, early voting has reached a whopping 26-point-6-9 percent,... the highest rate so far.
But, observers of South Korean politics say it's important to keep an eye on the fifty-thousand in self-quarantine.
The government has come up with a separate voting timeline for them for safety reasons.
But it remains to be seen whether they'll show up.
"Even if those under self-quarantine want to participate,... they could feel self-conscious,... as if they're posing a threat to others. The voting time being delayed to 7PM isn't the problem,... it's whether or not they'll show up to vote."
Adding to all these uncertainties that could affect the outcome of the election,… conventional notions of voter turnout may not apply this year.
"Normally, low voter turnout results from fewer young voters. Since they are mostly swing voters,... fewer votes from them generally gives an advantage to the conservative opposition bloc. But this year, it may be the elderly that refrain from voting,... since they're more vulnerable to the virus. So the conventional notion that low voter turnout may be advantageous to the conservative bloc,... simply cannot apply this time."
"With all the uncertainty posed by COVID-19,... the pandemic is bound to have an impact on the upcoming election. BUT just how much of an impact remains to be seen.
Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News."