Nearly 2m overseas Koreans eligible to vote in presidential election

Nearly 2 million overseas South Koreans will be allowed to vote in the country's upcoming presidential election, the election watchdog said Friday.

According to the National Election Commission, there were about 1.98 million overseas South Koreans eligible to vote in the May 9 presidential election.

Officials from the Democratic Party and the National Election Commission count ballots following the end of a one-day vote as part of the liberal party's primary election at 250 polling stations throughout South Korea on March 22, 2017. (Yonhap)

The number will account for over 4 percent of the total 42.35 million voters eligible to cast their ballots in the upcoming election.

As of early Friday, 152,781 overseas voters have completed their online registration, accounting for 7.7 percent of all overseas voters, according to the NEC.

All overseas voters must complete their registration by next Thursday, it said. (Yonhap)