North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has secured another overwhelming electoral victory after his ruling Workers' Party of Korea and affiliated parties swept all votes in the latest election in the country, according to state media outlets.

Figures released by the Korean Central News Agency showed that Kim’s ruling party secured 99.93% votes in the latest election that was held on March 15 to elect members of the Supreme People’s Assembly.

The results also showed that there was a 99.99% voter turnout, with a small percentage of voters being unable to vote because they were out of the country or at sea.

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Although such victories are common in North Korea’s controlled politics, the news that 0.07% of voters did not vote in favor of Kim’s party’s candidates has been widely shared on social media.

Rare dissent figure draws attention

According to official statistics, only 0.00003 percent of voters did not vote, and a small number voted against the candidates.

State media’s acknowledgment of opposing votes was notable, as it marked the first time such dissent had been publicly reported in an election for the Supreme People’s Assembly since 1957, according to outside observers.

North Korea’s election system is such that one candidate is elected from each constituency, which means the voter can choose to approve or reject the candidate nominated by the ruling party.

According to the country’s election laws, the country elected 687 representatives to the assembly from various sectors of the population, including workers, farmers, intellectuals, and military personnel.

Kim Yo Jong among elected members

Among those elected was Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, who won her seat in Kallimgil Constituency No. 5.

Analysts outside the country have often described North Korean elections as largely symbolic, given the absence of competing candidates and political parties.

Online reactions focus on the 0.07%

The small number of dissenting votes quickly became the focus of online discussion, with social media users reacting with sarcasm and humour.

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Some users joked about the safety of the voters who cast dissenting ballots. One post read, “Moment of silence for the 0.07%.” Another user wrote, “Give me the names of those 0.07%,” alongside an image of the North Korean leader.

A third comment joked that the country’s population might “decrease by 0.07% this summer,” while another suggested the dissenting voters had become “the most wanted people in the country.”