Overseas Voting for Presidential Election Begins... Lee and Yoon Appeal to Voters

From the 23rd to the 28th... Ukraine Excluded
Lee and Yoon Introduce Pledges Including Establishment of Overseas Korean Affairs Office and Improvement of Overseas Voting System

On the 20th, promotional materials encouraging voter participation in the 20th presidential election caught attention at Cheonggyecheon in Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Wooseok] The first overseas voting for the 20th presidential election began at 4 a.m. on the 23rd at the New Zealand Embassy and Auckland branch office and will continue until the 28th.

Overseas voting is conducted at 219 polling stations across 177 overseas diplomatic missions in 115 countries worldwide. Voting hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the total number of overseas voters is 226,152. However, the Ukrainian Embassy has suspended election affairs due to the war threat with Russia, so overseas voting will not be held there.

Presidential candidates are appealing to overseas Korean voters by presenting policies related to overseas nationals and encouraging voting. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, said in a video posted on his Facebook on the 22nd, "Dear 7.3 million overseas Koreans, I offer my condolences to those suffering difficulties and pain due to COVID-19 worldwide," adding, "I will make the Republic of Korea a homeland that you can be even prouder of."

He then introduced policy pledges such as enacting the Overseas Koreans Basic Act, establishing the Overseas Koreans Agency, and introducing an overseas postal voting system, urging "participation in voting and support."

Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party candidate, also stated on his Facebook the same day, "Dear overseas Koreans, wherever you are in any country, you are precious citizens of the Republic of Korea," and said, "I and the People Power Party will stand with overseas Koreans through responsible change."

He promised policy pledges including establishing the Overseas Koreans Agency, improving the overseas election system, and expanding support for overseas Korean education, asking, "Please unite your precious vote so that we can fulfill our responsibilities to support you."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.