Lee Jun-seok, the Reform Party presidential candidate, recorded a final vote rate of 8.34%, which means he will not receive reimbursement for election expenses.
According to the National Election Commission on 3rd, the limit on election expenses for the 21st presidential election is approximately 58.8 billion won. This is an increase of about 7.5 billion won (14.7%) compared to the 20th presidential election. The total reimbursement amount that President Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo, who received more than 10% of the votes, will receive in this presidential election is expected to reach about 115.5 billion won.
However, candidate Lee Jun-seok showed a vote rate in the 8% range and did not surpass the 10% threshold for reimbursement of election expenses. He and the Reform Party need to resolve the issue of election expenses, which are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of won. According to the Public Official Election Act, if the vote rate is 15% or higher, the total election expenses can be fully reimbursed, while if it is between 10% and 15%, half can be returned.
According to exit polls from the three major broadcasting companies, candidate Lee Jun-seok had an anticipated vote rate of 7.7% across all age groups, but recorded double digits among those in their 20s (24.3%) and 30s (17.7%). Notably, 37.2% of men in their 20s and 25.8% of men in their 30s chose this candidate.
After the exit poll results were announced the previous day, candidate Lee Jun-seok stated, "The results and responsibilities of this election are all mine," emphasizing the need for analysis of what was done well and what was not, and expressing hope that the Reform Party can make a significant advancement in the local elections that will come exactly one year later.