Around 14.5 percent of South Korean voters had turned out in Wednesday's parliamentary elections as of 11 a.m., the election watchdog said. The National Election Commission (NEC) said some 6.42 million out of an eligible 44.28 million voters had cast their ballots five hours after the polls opened at polling stations nationwide in crucial elections that are seen as a referendum on President Yoon Suk Yeol. At the same point during the previous parliamentary elections in 2020, the turnout was 15.3 percent. The latest tally does not include the 31.28 percent who participated in last week's two-day early voting, as well as votes by overseas South Korean nationals and those aboard ships, the NEC said. Those numbers will be included in the turnout starting at 1 p.m. Voting is set to end at 6 p.m. As of 11 a.m., South Chungcheong Province and South Gyeongsang Province reported the highest voter turnout at 16.2 percent, followed by eastern Gangwon Province and the southeastern city of Daegu. The southwestern c ity of Gwangju had the lowest voter turnout at 12.1 percent. Source: Yonhap News Agency