OVERSEAS VOTING AFFECTED AMID COVID-19

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Overseas voting in the upcoming general elections could be hampered because of the coronavirus outbreak. The National Election Commission announced on Thursday that voting will be suspended in 23 embassies in 17 countries including Italy.

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​When asked how overseas voting for National Assembly members would take place two weeks ago, the National Election Commission said the following.

[Soundbite] PARK YOUNG-SOO(NATIONAL ELECTION COMMISSION(MAR. 11)) : "We haven't thought yet about diplomatic missions being unable to hold voting."

The commission has eventually decided to suspend voting in some of the 176 Korean diplomatic missions overseas. Twenty-three of them will not hold overseas voting slated for April 1. In addition to Wuhan, China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also requested embassies in 23 other regions to suspend overseas voting. They include countries in Europe, Central and South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. The decision mostly targets diplomatic missions in European countries, such as Italy, Spain and Germany. The eastern part of the United States, which had been initially believed to have difficulties in holding overseas voting, has been excluded from the list. The National Election Commission has also decided to cut the voting period in 52 diplomatic missions located in regions that have been hit less hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The commission added overseas voting could be cancelled in more regions, including the eastern part of the U.S., if the virus outbreak gets worse there. Although the National Election Commission says the measure is inevitable, controversy over the violation of overseas voters' rights will likely arise with just five days left before the start of the voting.