(2nd LD) Voter turnout stands at 53.4 pct as of 1 p.m.

Around 53.4 percent of South Korean voters had cast their ballots in Wednesday's parliamentary elections as of 1 p.m., the election watchdog said. The National Election Commission (NEC) said some 23.6 million out of an eligible 44.28 million voters had cast their ballots seven hours after the polls opened at polling stations nationwide in crucial elections that are seen as a referendum on President Yoon Suk Yeol. The turnout was 3.7 percentage points higher than at the same time in the previous parliamentary elections in 2020. The latest tally included part of the record 31.28 percent turnout for last week's two-day early voting, as well as votes by overseas South Korean nationals and those aboard ships, the NEC said. Voting is set to end at 6 p.m. "The turnout on the main day of voting is lower than that of the 2020 elections. But as the early voting turnout was an all-time high this time, we cautiously expect that the final turnout may be higher than four years ago," an NEC official said. The turnout for the parliamentary elections in 2020 stood at 66.2 percent. As of 1 p.m., South Jeolla Province had the highest voter turnout at 59.6 percent, followed by the central city of Sejong at 57.3 percent and North Jeolla Province at 57.1 percent. The southeastern city of Daegu had the lowest turnout at 49.9 percent. The turnout in Seoul stood at 54.1 percent. Source: Yonhap News Agency