21 총선 투표율 오전 9시 현재 8.0% , 지난 총선보다 0.9%p 높아

And now we take things to the National Election Commission,… for more on how the voting process is faring on this election day.
For that we go live to our Lee Kyung-eun, standing by at the NEC for the voter turnout, just four-hours-into election.
Kyung-eun, what's the latest?
Much attention is on the voter turnout because the election is being held amid the coronavirus outbreak.
And here, the National Election Commission will be keeping track of the numbers on a real-time basis.
As of 9 am, the turnout is at 8 percent.
That's about point-9 percentage points higher than at the same time in the previous election in 2016.
The southeastern city of Daegu is a key area of attention because it was hit hardest by COVID-19 in South Korea.
Daegu's turnout has traditionally been low, and its figure was the country's lowest in the previous election.
But interestingly, it is seeing the highest participation with 8-point-nine percent.
It seems like COVID-19 has further drawn people closer to politics, not away from it.
The polling stations will close at 6 PM, but the official final results will not be announced until very late at night.
And the total number of voters is expected to see a notable jump at 1 PM as early voter turnout will be incorporated in these figures.
In all five previous general elections, only once, in 2002, has the country seen a turnout of over 60 percent.
And this year, despite concerns over the outbreak, the early voter turnout hit a record high of 26.7 percent.
I will keep you updated on how the numbers develop throughout the day.