South Korea holds parliamentary polls amid Coronavirus pandemic

South Koreans headed to the polls on Wednesday to elect members of parliament under strict safety guidelines in one of the first national elections held amid the coronavirus pandemic.

About 14,000 polling stations were open at 6am (21:00 GMT on Tuesday) around the country after disinfection, and voters were required to wear a mask and have their temperature checked on arrival. Anyone whose temperature was higher than 37.5 Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit) was led to a special booth.

All voters must use also hand sanitiser and plastic gloves when casting ballots and maintain 1-metre (3.2 feet) distance between each other.

The election is set to decide control of parliament, and shape President Moon Jae-in’s ability to push through his agenda in the final two years of his administration, including a minimum wage, policies aimed at creating jobs, and continued re-engagement with North Korea.

According to exit polls jointly conducted by three major local TV networks, Moon Jae-in’s ruling party is projected to win a majority.

Moon’s progressive camp could secure up to 177 seats in the 300-strong single chamber parliament, while the main conservative party is expected to win as many as 131, the polls showed.

South Korea is one of the first countries in the world to hold a national election since the coronavirus epidemic began, with many others postponing votes.

Once grappling with the first large outbreak outside China, South Korea has largely managed to bring its cases under control without large disruptions thanks to a an enormous testing campaign and intensive contact tracing.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 27 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total infections to 10,591, with 225 deaths. The daily tally has hovered about 30 over the past week, most of them from overseas travellers.

But authorities have warned that infections could resurge at any time, calling for special caution on election day.