President Lee Jae-myung cast an out-of-district ballot at the Samcheong-dong community center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, near Cheong Wa Dae on the 29th, the first day of early voting for the June 3 local elections and National Assembly by-elections. The president's home address is in Incheon Gyeyang-eul, and Lee cast one vote each in the Incheon mayoral election, the Gyeyang district chief election, and the Gyeyang-eul National Assembly by-election. During the process, Lee stepped out of the booth and asked, "If the circle mark isn't complete and only half is stamped, is that okay? Wouldn't it become an invalid ballot?"
That day, Lee visited the early voting station set up at the Samcheong-dong community center with Kim Hea-kyung. Walking from the main building of Cheong Wa Dae to the polling place, Lee presented an ID, completed identity verification, received eight ballot papers, and entered the booth.
However, Lee exited the booth and, showing a ballot to a poll worker, asked, "If the circle mark isn't complete and only half is stamped, is that okay?" Lee then asked again, "Wouldn't it become an invalid ballot because it's stamped only like this (only halfway)?" After hearing from the poll worker that it would not be invalid, Lee went back in and finished marking the ballots.
Outside the polling place, dozens of members of Korea People First, an advocacy group for people with developmental disabilities, held a picket protest calling on the National Election Commission to produce pictorial ballots and introduce polling assistants. Lee and Kim Hea-kyung waved and greeted them, posed for photos, and read a three-page handwritten letter from a person with a developmental disability addressed "To President Lee Jae-myung."
Lee asked about the situation, including "How many voters with developmental disabilities are there?" "Do you mean you want the candidate's face on the ballot so voters can choose by looking at the person?" and "Why isn't it possible now? Are there factors other than expense?" After watching a demonstration of using an assistive tool that overlays a sheet with photos onto the ballot, Lee said, "We will review whether this can be reflected in the main vote," and told aides to review the expense and report back.
That day, Lee wore a black suit with a gray tie. Cheong Wa Dae explained that the tie conveyed "election neutrality," avoiding the Democratic Party of Korea's symbolic blue, the People Power Party's red, and independents' white. Joining the early voting were Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik and Protocol Secretary Kwon Hyuk-gi, among others.