Some 258,254 overseas South Koreans will be eligible to vote over a six-day period that runs until next Monday, at around 182 embassies and consulates abroad, along with some 41 newly added polling stations set up for military units dispatched to Lebanon and Uganda.
Polling stations were also set up for the first time in Cuba, Estonia, Lithuania, and Luxembourg, where diplomatic missions have been recently established. The first overseas ballots will be cast at South Korean consular offices in New Zealand and Fiji, while the final polling station to close will be in Hawaii.
The number of overseas voters registered for the upcoming election rose 14.2 percent compared to 226,152 in the previous 2022 presidential election. By country, the U.S. has the largest number of voters with 51,885, followed by Japan with 38,600 and China with 25,154.
Voters can cast their ballots between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., though they are advised to check the exact dates and times, which may be subject to change depending on local conditions.
They should also be mindful not to vote for Koo Ju-wa of the minor far-right Liberty Unification Party, who withdrew from the presidential race over the weekend after the ballots were already printed out. Any votes cast for him will be deemed invalid.
Their ballot papers will be delivered to the NEC in diplomatic pouches and sent by registered mail to the relevant constituencies across the country, where they will be counted on the election day along with the other votes here.
Meanwhile, early voting will take place over two days next Thursday and Friday at any polling station, regardless of voters' registered addresses.
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