Main opposition Democratic Party(DP) leader Lee Jae-myung cast his vote with students at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(KAIST) in Daejeon on Friday, the first day of early voting for the April 10 general election.
 
Lee met with reporters after casting his early vote and said that students of KAIST are facing great difficulties in the educational field due to budget cuts in the research and development(R&D) field by the ruling party and the government, adding that their reasoning for the cut, which they stated was due to much of the funds going to waste, is an "ignorant excuse."
 
The DP leader raised concern that there are signs of competition from foreign countries looking to attract young Korean students and researchers in the scientific field, adding that if this becomes a reality, "the future of Korea will be truly bleak."
 
Meanwhile, the opposition leader continued his campaigning for the general election in the Chungcheong region later in the afternoon, as the region has long been fiercely contested in major elections, often determining the outcome.
 

During stumping Lee questioned whether the ruling party government has improved people's livelihoods and the economy, calling on voters to cast their votes neutrally and objectively.