South Korea has been holding an election unlike any other. Voters wore masks and stood at least 1m apart. They had their temperature taken, disinfected their hands and wore plastic gloves. Only then were they given their voting slip and allowed to head into the booth to cast their ballot.

These are just some of the measures taken to allow the scheduled National Assembly election to take place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Three hundred seats at the National Assembly are being contested. Thirty-five parties have registered candidates, but the race will be between the ruling Minjoo (Democratic) Party and the main opposition, the conservative United Future Party.

The government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak has dominated all discussions during this election. It has eclipsed fears of a struggling economy and a number of corruption scandals involving presidential aides.

The National Assembly elections are seen as a bit of springboard to test candidates and party popularity ahead of the presidential elections in 2022. After voting closed on Wednesday, exit polls published by the three main broadcasters suggested President Moon Jae-in’s ruling Democratic party had won the majority of seats and increased its majority.(BBC)…[+]