Overseas voting for the 21st presidential election began worldwide on the 20th (local time), targeting expatriate voters. Starting in Asia, it will be conducted in 223 polling stations across 118 countries, including Europe, Africa, and the Americas, for six days until the 25th.
According to the National Election Commission, a total of 258,254 voters are eligible to participate in this presidential election's overseas voting, which is a 14.2% increase compared to the previous 20th presidential election. By continent, the Asia region has the largest number of voters with 128,932, accounting for 49.9% of the total, followed by the Americas with 75,607 (29.3%) and Europe with 43,906 (17.0%).
Voting started first in New Zealand, based on the international date line, and simultaneously began in regions with a high number of expatriate voters, such as China and Japan.
In Japan, polling places were established in eight cities nationwide, including the Tokyo Korean Residents' Union Central Hall, and in China, voting is taking place at 10 locations, including the Embassy in Beijing and major consulates and Branch Offices. The National Election Commission has deployed shuttle buses in some areas to assist the movement of expatriates.
In Vietnam, a record 16,693 individuals registered as overseas absentee voters. Voting is underway at local diplomatic missions, including the Embassy of Vietnam in Hanoi.
In Europe, voting is being conducted at diplomatic missions in major cities such as London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Rome, and Madrid, and for the first time, polling places have been established in Lithuania, Estonia, and Luxembourg, improving access for voters in those regions.
In Africa and the Middle East, overseas voting is being conducted primarily at Korean embassies in South Africa, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
In the United States, voting has begun for local voters at polling places established in major cities such as Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles (LA), Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, and Atlanta. The LA Consulate has registered 10,341 voters, and many voters reportedly visited polling places on the first day.
In the Central and South America region, overseas voting is proceeding smoothly in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Bolivia, while Cuba, where an embassy was newly established earlier this year, is set to begin voting on the 22nd.