23,000 Register as Overseas Voters on First Day of Registration Period

= 7 times more than the 18th presidential election, 11 times more than 20th National Assembly elections. Be sure to participate and exercise your right as a citizen =

The National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea has announced that 23,304 citizens, made up of 7,495 overseas voters and 15,809 overseas absentees, who wish to vote from abroad registered on the first day of the overseas voter registration period (from when the early election was confirmed to March 11, 7am Korean time) after a vacancy in the Office of the President was confirmed. 

This is about 7 times more than the 3,181 (1,095 overseas voters and 2,086 overseas absentees) that registered on the first day of registration during the 18th presidential election and about 11 times higher than the 2,020 that did so during the 20th National Assembly elections (95 overseas voters, 1,925 overseas absentees).

During the 18th presidential election, a total of 222,000 people had registered by the deadline and that figure was 154,000 for the 20th National Assembly elections.

Overseas voters are citizens of the Republic of Korea who are 19 years of age or older but are not registered as residents in Korea, while overseas absentee voters are citizens with a residence in Korea but who are temporarily overseas such as exchanges students, workers stationed abroad and people on vacation.

It is possible to register as an overseas voter up until 40 days before election day through the NEC website (http://ova.nec.go.kr), by visiting a diplomatic mission, by email or by post. Those 40,000 permanent overseas residents who applied for overseas voting for the 20th National Assembly elections are on the permanent overseas voters list and do not need to make another separate application for this election. However, if you have changed status from an overseas voter to an overseas absentee, you should make another separate application. 

Overseas voting will be held at 204 overseas polling stations in 116 countries beginning from 14 days before until to 9 days before election day.

During the election, the NEC plans to open overseas polling stations for the convenience of voters at 175 diplomatic missions, 25 additional overseas polling stations, and at four overseas military bases, including a polling station at the ‘Akh’ unit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The NEC is operating a 24-hour emergency work system to manage overseas elections to the highest standard possible considering that the presidential election is being held in a relatively short period of time, and the NEC asks all citizens to come together as one to use their precious vote to strengthen the development of democracy in the Republic of Korea.