SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - From K-pop idols to the stars of Korean TV shows, South Korean celebrities exercised their right to vote in the country's presidential election on Tuesday (May 9), as they shared post-voting photos and selfies of their ballot-stamped hands on social media.
South Koreans are choosing a new president after months of political turmoil caused by the impeachment of Park Geun Hye, the country's first female head of state. Moon Jae In from the liberal Democratic Party is widely expected to win the election.
Photos of ballot-stamped hands became a trendy accessory on social media Tuesday amid the election fever, with South Korean celebrities leading the way to show they had also fulfilled their civic duty. Many also encouraged their fans to vote.
Some of the stars who cast their ballots included six-member South Korean boy group VIXX, whose group leader N was seen holding a piece of paper that read "Let's vote on May 9."
Members of the South Korean girl group Rainbow Jisook and Seungah also took to Instagram to share their photos. Jisook shared a photo of herself taken at a polling station and captioned the photo, "I voted in this fresh morning. Let's vote together!" Her band mate Seungah also shared a post-voting photo on her Instagram with a message encouraging fans to vote.
Another star who showed off his voting selfie was South Korean actor Jung Woo Sung, known for his political remarks.
Others included actress and singer Park Shin Hye, actress Kim Hee Sun, K-pop girl group Gugudan and BTS' Rap Monster.
Ordinary citizens have also been getting in on the action. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have been flooded with "voting selfies" since early in the morning, as voters marked the occasion and celebrated their participation in democracy.
This is the first presidential election since the National Election Commission lifted a ban on such photographs, as part of its efforts to boost turnout.
"I took a photo of us holding hands with the stamps showing because I wanted to remember the moment. We made this election possible," said Kong Young Hee, a 29-year-old office worker. "It was more meaningful because it was the first time I cast my ballot with my wife after we got married."
