Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong visited the situation room for the 21st presidential election in the central administrative city of Sejong on Tuesday to offer encouragement to the officials on duty and to monitor the progress of  voting as it is underway nationwide.

The situation room, which began its work Thursday as the two-day early voting period started, will remain in operation until all the ballots are counted.

After polls close at 8 p.m., ballot boxes will be sealed and transported to counting centers under police escort.
 
Counting will begin around 8:30 p.m. at 254 centers nationwide, with approximately 70-thousand personnel involved in the process.
 
A leading candidate is expected to emerge around midnight, when roughly 70 to 80 percent of votes will likely have been counted.
 
The National Election Commission anticipates a final tally by 6 a.m. Wednesday.