2010-06-02 13:58

SEOUL - South Korean citizens are going to the polls on Wednesday to cast ballots in local elections, the fifth in the country.

People wait for their turns to cast their ballots at a polling station in Seoul June 2, 2010. South Koreans voted in regional elections on Wednesday, a barometer of support for President Lee Myung-bak as he tries to push through business-friendly reforms, with the North Korea standoff a key campaign issue. [Agencies]

A girl squats down in a polling booth while her mother marks her ballots at a polling station in Seoul June 2, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Voting started Wednesday morning. Around 38.85 million people, or 77.7 percent of the nation's population, are eligible to elect more than 3,900 officials.

Related readings:  China, S.Korea, Japan wind up tripartite summit  China, S Korea need to ensure economic policy continuity  Slide: South Korea holds navy drill  North Korea cuts some links with South

According to the National Election Commission (NEC), there are more than 9,900 candidates who are running for a total of 3,991 officials, including 16 mayors and governors, 228 heads of low- level administrative units, thousands of local councilors, educational superintendents and educational board members.

The elections, the first since the general elections in 2008, is widely seen as a mid-term referendum on the Lee Myung-bak administration. According to local experts, the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) dominate in Gyeongsang area and Jeolla area respectively, but the situations in other provinces still remain unclear.

The polls will close at 6 pm local time (0900 GMT), after which the votes will be counted at 260 centers nationwide. The final results will come out late Wednesday or earlier Thursday.