South Korea presses on with an election

AT FIRST GLANCE it looked like any old campaign event. A crowd thronged around a stage in a narrow street in central Seoul. Dancers in bright pink hoodies performed a lacklustre routine to a K-pop tune. But the dancers wore face masks that matched their hoodies. Spectators, though hard-pressed to keep the officially recommended two-metre distance from each other, had covered their faces, too. And when the candidate, Hwang Kyo-ahn, took to the stage, he sported a clear perspex shield over his mouth and nose.

Last weekend marked the start of campaigning for South Korea’s legislative elections, which will go ahead as planned on April 15th despite the covid-19 pandemic. The prospect of queues at polling stations and of sharing booths, pencils and ballot boxes has prompted several other countries, including Britain, France and some American states, to cancel or postpone elections. But the South Korean authorities believe the outbreak is at bay. On April 6th the country recorded fewer than 50 new cases for the first time since late February.

Nonetheless, to minimise the risk of infection for voters and poll workers, the National Election Commission has instituted elaborate safeguards. All voters will have their temperature taken before entering their polling station (those found to have a fever or other symptoms will be...

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