The National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea said overseas voting for the 21st National Assembly elections was held at 91 polling stations at 85 diplomatic missions from April 1 to April 6, with 40,858 out of 171,959 overseas voters (23.8 percent turnout) participating.

The NEC had decided to suspend overseas election-related operations at 91* diplomatic missions in 55 countries due to the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) around the world, and 36 diplomatic missions operated shortened overseas voting periods.

• There were 87,269 registered overseas voters in areas where overseas election-related operations were suspended, accounting for 50.7% of the total of 171,959 voters.

• The three diplomatic missions where overseas election-related operations were suspended during the overseas voting period are not included in the number of suspended diplomatic missions

Historical Overseas Voting Participation

Overseas voting ballot papers will be returned to Korea after voting has completed, transported in designated ways including diplomatic pouch, and is the responsibility of the head of the diplomatic mission. At Incheon International Airport, observers recommended by political parties that have formed a negotiating group in the National Assembly (parties with over 20 seats) are present, and after being handed over to the NEC, the ballots are sent to the relevant Gu/Si/Gun election commission by registered mail according to the address on the envelope the ballot paper is in, and they are counted together with other domestic ballot papers.

However, if there is no way to return the ballot papers from the diplomatic mission to Korea, the votes will be counted at the diplomatic mission pursuant to Article 218-24 (Ballot Counting of Overseas Votes) of the Public Official Elections Act. The NEC said that it will decide where ballots will be counted at the diplomatic mission by April 11 and thoroughly prepare procedures for counting the votes. 

Meanwhile, as of 9am on April 7, 1,610 overseas voters reported that they had returned to Korea, an increase of 1,252 from 358 during the 20th National Assembly elections. The NEC asked overseas voters who returned to Korea before March 31 to cast their valuable ballot by actively utilizing the returning voter system.