The upcoming local elections in June are expected to see an increase in the number of electorates aged 50 and over, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration said Monday.

The provisional number by the government shows that voters in their 50s or older will account for 40.7 percent of the total voters in the election, a 0.7 percent growth from the 2012 presidential election.

On the contrary, the voting rates of 20-somethings and 30-somethings are expected to fall by 0.4 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. The total number of voters will increase 1.5 percent to 41.1 million, the ministry said.

The surging rates of older voters is widely regarded as good news for the ruling Saenuri Party, given their pro-conservative tendency. In the 2012 election, voters 50 or older rallied behind President Park Geun-hye, which is considered a key factor in her victory.

The number of voters in the Seoul, Incheon and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province is expected to increase by 0.1 percent to reach 49.5 percent of total electorates. The Gyeongsang provinces are forecast to account for 26 percent of the total voters, followed by Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, each at 10.2 percent.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)