Running for high office in the midst of a pandemic has forced candidates in South Korea to abandon tried and tested campaigning methods, as the country prepares to become the first to hold a national election since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
With a few exceptions, they have swapped handshakes for elbow bumps and delivered speeches from behind masks to small groups rather than hold mass rallies. Kissing babies is out of the question.
In less tumultuous times, the 15 April elections would have been dominated by job creation, wages and North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. But they have been overshadowed by president Moon Jae-in’s response to the pandemic.
Early indications are that the virus has failed to deter voters, with predictions of a record turnout by the time all the votes for the 300-seat national assembly have been cast on Wednesday evening. On Friday, more than 5 million people cast their ballots early – a record high since advance voting was introduced seven years ago.
Like millions of his compatriots, Moon arrived at a polling station wearing a mask, and was not allowed to vote until he had passed a temperature test, washed his hands and put on plastic gloves.
South Korea has won praise from the World Health Organization for its success in bringing the outbreak under control, with more than a dozen world leaders seeking Seoul’s advice on quarantine measures and requesting test kits. Nearly 60% of survey respondents approved of Moon’s response to the pandemic.
“In times of a national disaster or crisis, the ruling camp would usually be on the defensive. But the recent slowing of the outbreak appears to have turned the tide in their favour,” said Yang Seung-ham, a professor of political science at Yonsei University in Seoul.
South Korea has brought daily known infections to about 50 or below, down from the late February peak of more than 900, through a combination of aggressive testing, monitoring, social distancing and strict quarantine for overseas arrivals. It has had a total of 10,537 cases, with 217 deaths, as of the afternoon of Monday 13 April, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Well over 7,000 infected people have recovered from the illness.
The country’s response is expected to give Moon’s Democratic party of Korea an unexpected boost, after a year of political scandals and criticism of his record on jobs and young people’s living standards. His approval ratings reached a 16-month high last week, a poll by researchers at Realmeter showed, while his party’s popularity was 15% higher than the conservative main opposition United Future party.
“We were terrified several weeks ago, but thanks to the government’s handling of the coronavirus, we think we will do much better than we had previously thought,” a senior ruling party official said.
The virus has transformed the mechanics of voting for millions of South Koreans amid concern that polling stations could trigger a second wave of infections, just as the country appears to be bringing the outbreak under control.
More than 3,500 polling stations have been disinfected and all voters are required to use hand sanitiser and wear a mask and gloves. Those who fail a temperature check are directed to special booths, while separate polling stations have been set up for more than 3,000 Covid-19 patients and 900 medical workers in Seoul and the city of Daegu, until recently the centre of South Korea’s infections. People in quarantine will be allowed to vote by mail from home.
Many voters agreed that the elections should go ahead, even if it meant longer waits outside polling stations.
“As long as people take all the necessary precautions, the elections should go ahead,” said Jeon Young-gyun, a 55-year-old resident of Suwon in Gyeonggi province. “Voting is the best way to protect democracy … it’s our right as citizens.”
But Lee Yong-joo, a 79-year-old voter from Seoul, was having second thoughts. “I have voted all my life so I hope to do the same this week, but I’m afraid about going out these days,” she said. “The number of infections is falling, but the mortality rate among older people is still worrying so I’m not sure if I should risk it.”
Some were critical of parties for turning the campaign into a bidding war, with rival offers of cash payouts for voters whose livelihoods have been ruined by the outbreak.
“The candidates should stop exploiting the coronavirus outbreak to win votes,” said Park Seon-min, a young voter in the capital who was appalled to see some candidates hugging voters and shouting political slogans despite not wearing a mask.
“The parties are offering different compensation packages, and it’s not good to see. I’ve lost my teaching job because of the outbreak, but the politicians are going to be fine.”