Voting to select the next president to lead the nation over the next five years has kicked off at some 14-thousand polling stations nationwide.

General voters will head to 14-thousand-464 stations to cast their ballot between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, while COVID-19 patients and those in quarantine will follow suit between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Of 44-point-20 million people eligible to vote, 16-point-32 million have already exercised their voting rights via early voting sessions last Friday and Saturday.

With a record high early voting turnout of 36-point-93 percent, attention is being drawn to whether the final turnout will exceed 80 percent for the first time since the 15th presidential election in 1997.

Offering an apology for the confusion and inconvenience experienced by some voters during the early voting period, National Election Commission(NEC) Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee on Tuesday promised improved voting oversight and management on Election Day as she urged the public to vote.

KBS will announce the result of a joint exit poll with MBC and SBS at 7:30 p.m.