2018 지방선거 및 재보궐선거, 개표 진행

It's election day here in South Korea.
Voters will choose some 4-thousand officials in their local municipalities -- including mayors and provincial governors.
And they'll choose twelve members of parliament in a by-election.
It's been about four hours since the polls closed, and vote counting is well underway.
Our Seo Bo-bin is at a vote counting facility and she joins us live now.
Bo-bin, how are they doing the counting, and when do you think we'll start to see results?

Good evening Devin.
They started the ballot-counting process about four hours ago. Here at the gymnasium of Seoul National University, some 700 volunteers are still working diligently. Hopefully we'll be able to see some results taking shape in the next couple of hours. But here's what we have so far...

As for the ballot count across the nation, as of 9 p.m, it stood at five-point-five percent.
Breaking it down by major regions of South Korea…
In Seoul, we stand at zero-point-six percent.
In Gyeonggi-do nine-point-four percent.
In Busan two-point-six percent
and Daegu at six-point-one percent.

In this year's election, candidates have competed for more than 4-thousand local administrative, legislative, and educational posts. This also includes 17 metropolitan mayor and provincial governor posts.
The election has added meaning… because it's the first election under the Moon Jae-in administration. Means it could serve as an indicator of the public's sentiment towards the liberal leader's young administration.
As for the ballot counting process, just like many other counting stations… citizen observers are overseeing the procedure up close to ensure integrity and transparency during the process. Also, the counting center is under strict control… with police officers and firefighters on full standby, right outside the counting center.
The National Election Commission is also providing the count online in real time. That's all I have for now, but I will bring you more updates in our later newscast.
Devin?