11.5 percent of voter turnout expected out of estimated 2 million overseas voters

The number of voters who registered for overseas voting for the 20th presidential election including overseas absentees and overseas voters has been preliminarily confirmed as 231,314 as of 7am on January 10 (Korea time).

When looking at the whole registrations, 199,156 people had registered as overseas absentees who have a resident registration in Korea, and 32,158 permanent residents had registered as overseas voters (including 23,310 who are on the permanent voters list).

The figure was 11.51 percent of the estimated 2 million overseas voters, a decrease of 22.9 percent from 300,197 people who registered in the 19th presidential election and an increase of 30.6 percent from the 21st National Assembly elections.

< Historic Registrations for Overseas Registrations >

When looking by country, the most registrations came from America(55,058), followed by China(30,001) and Japan(29,446), and these three countries accounted for 49.5 percent of the total number of registrations; by continent, the highest number of registrations came from Asia with 48.69 percent(112,626), North America with 32.99 percent(76,318) as the second followed by European region with 14.20 percent(32,847).

The overseas voters list will be drawn up in a period of 10 days from January 19 to 28, and it will be confirmed on February 7 after a period of voters list viewing and appeals.

In addition, the NEC will provide voting management training for the overseas election staff of diplomatic missions from January 17 to 21.

The training will be conducted through in-house education led by diplomatic missions that overseas election managers are dispatched to, online from the Korean Civic Education Institute for Democracy (KOCEI), and by diplomatic missions themselves.

The education is focused on the practical contents as below:

▲ How to set up and manage overseas polling stations

▲ How to operate ballot paper printers

▲ How to return overseas votes

▲ How to cope with the change of election environment overseas including counting management by diplomatic missions.

The NEC said that it will further strengthen public relations activities for high interest for participation of the voters by using diverse medium including broadcasting, newspapers and online, and that it will do its utmost to manage elections in a sound manner, so that every precious ballot by the overseas voters can be reflected clearly while securing the life and safety of the overseas Koreans.