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Overseas voting for April general election begins Wednesday

Published: 26 Mar. 2024, 18:08

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

Campaign vehicles for various political parties are parked in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, on Monday, ahead of the official campaign period for the April 10 general election, which runs from Thursday to April 9, according to the National Election Commission. [NEWS1]

The six-day overseas voting period for the April 10 general election will begin Wednesday at 220 polling stations across 115 countries.

The National Election Commission (NEC) said Tuesday that 147,989 people are eligible for overseas voting, which will run through Monday.

That is 7.5 percent of the 1,974,375 overseas people aged 18 or older, according to the NEC.

They can cast their ballots at 178 overseas missions worldwide, but some voters could face restrictions depending on the geographical situation.

The first overseas polling station will open at the Korean Embassy in New Zealand and the consulate in Auckland, with 14 days until the 22nd general election.

Overseas voters can generally cast their ballots from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

However, the operation times of the overseas polling stations could vary depending on each location, so voters are encouraged to check with their local embassy websites for further information.

Voters must bring a proof of identification issued by a Korean government office or public institution with a photo, name and date of birth to confirm their identity, such as a passport, resident registration card, government employee card or driver's license.

Further documents, such as a permanent resident certificate or visa, might also be required to confirm a voter's nationality.

Voters who return to Korea without having cast their ballots abroad can vote here, so long as they report to their local election commissions at least eight days prior to the election day, or April 2. Such voters could then vote at a polling station on April 10.

In past elections, overseas voters generally skewed toward the liberal Democratic Party (DP).

This included the 2022 presidential election, where DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung received 59.8 percent of support from overseas voters, besting conservative People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoon Suk Yeol, who received only 36.2 percent.

However, in the overall election, Yoon defeated Lee by a narrow margin of 0.73 percentage points to become president.

The official campaigning period will last 13 days from March 28. Until then, limited forms of electioneering will be allowed.

Early voting will take place on April 5 and 6.

According to the NEC, 253 candidates have registered to compete for the 46 proportional representation seats in the 300-member National Assembly.

The other 254 are directly contested seats, with the PPP and the DP aiming to gain a majority in the incoming National Assembly.

A total of 686 candidates have registered.

The PPP registered 252 candidates and the DP 244. Another 56 candidates registered as independents.

There are 38 satellite parties registered, with many eventually expected to align with major parties.

In the previous general elections four years ago, the DP secured a supermajority with 180 seats.

Minor splinter parties could also influence the final outcome, with notable political figures taking the spotlight by offering alternatives to the mainstream parties.

Former PPP leader Lee Jun-seok helms the New Reform Party, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon the New Future Party and former Justice Minister Cho Kuk the Korea Innovation Party.

With 15 days left until the election, the NEC said Tuesday it had detected and taken action on 469 violations of the Public Official Election Act, mainly involving illegal electioneering.

It said that, as of Monday, the NEC had reported 95 cases of violations of the election law and had requested investigations into 10 of them.

The NEC said it found 207 deepfakes, or digitally manipulated video, image or audio materials, that violated election law and took steps to delete them.

Since the last general election, the NEC has requested the deletion of 60,815 online posts for alleged violations of election laws.

The election law prohibits the production, editing, distribution and posting of sounds, images or videos created using AI technology for election campaigning purposes from 90 days before election day.

The NEC said that on Tuesday, it will oversee trial tests at overseas voting stations and provide guidance to vessel captains regarding onboard ballots.

Further information on voting can be found on the NEC's website at https://ok.nec.go.kr, as well as through each embassy or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]