Freezing temperatures, negative tactics and voter disenchantment with the familiar left-right divide did little to deter Koreans voting in vast numbers in one of the closest presidential elections in history.

Koreans, young and old, braved the frosty weather to make their ballot count, pushing the turnout much higher than in many previous elections.

Before dawn, voters started to trickle into 13,542 polling stations across the country to elect the 18th president of Korea.

Just 20 minutes after polls opened nationwide at 6 a.m., nearly 100 voters were waiting in line at Yeonhyeon Elementary School in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, to cast their ballots.

“I came here with my wife before driving her to work,” said a 32-year-old voter.

Like many in their generation did, the couple took a photo of themselves against the signboard of the polling station, with their mobile phone, “to certify” that they voted.

Voting has become something fashionable for many young Koreans, who in past elections have displayed a high level of political apathy. 

Many of them, including celebrities, posted photos of themselves at the voting stations on social networking services, encouraging others to follow suit.

The race for the presidency was a nail-biting duel between two candidates with contrasting backgrounds -- Park Geun-hye, daughter of slain military strongman Park Chung-hee and the conservative ruling party’s flag-bearer, and Moon Jae-in, a former student activist who was jailed under the Park regime and is now representing the liberal opposition. 

Their face-off has pitted young and liberal voters against the old and conservative, resulting in an enthusiastic voter turnout.

“It’s shameful to say, but this is the first time that I voted,” said a Moon supporter in her 30s. “I have never cared this much about elections or politics before.”

Kim Seon-jin, 35, camped out in front of her polling place in Samcheongdong, upper Seoul, to become the first person to vote in the country.

“In past elections, senior voters came out to vote in the early morning hours, but young people showed a tendency to show up late or just did not show up at all. I wanted to break that stereotype and become a role model for young voters,” she said.

Senior voters were just as enthusiastic as they have been in past elections.

“Weather has never been a factor for us,” said an elderly couple in their 80s at a polling station in Dognjak, eastern Seoul. “My husband is now in wheelchair, but we came anyway,” said the wife.

Jeon Yang-im, a 102-year-old voter in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, said she has never missed an election since she became eligible to vote.

“I came to give my vote to a candidate who, I believe, will make us all better off,” she said, after casting her ballot at her polling station. “I will continue to vote, as long as my health permits.”

Regardless of whom they support, voters expressed hopes that the new president unites the country across deep political divides, evidenced in this election, and navigates it through tough economic and social challenges ahead.

“I hope that the candidates work together after the election regardless of the results to make people’s lives more stable,” said Kim Si-young, a 32-year-old computer engineer.

Kim Jung-yeon, a 53-year-old housewife, hoped that the new president would make the country more fair, secure and a better place to live in for ordinary people like her.

Office worker Kim Ha-young hoped the new leader would tackle the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor.

“I think one should exercise his or her right before criticizing politics,” she said. “I voted for a change of government.” 

By Lee Sun-young and Kim Young-won
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