South Koreans living overseas began to cast ballots on Wednesday in a national election for the first time, as their home country is set to hold general elections on April 11.

The overseas vote for the general elections will take place at 158 diplomatic missions in 107 countries worldwide for six days until April 2, according to the National Election Commission (NEC).

The first polling station opened at a South Korean mission in Auckland, New Zealand.

A total of 123,571 pre-registered overseas South Koreans, or 5.5 percent of the eligible voters, are scheduled to participate in the vote, the commission said.

Registered voters are required to carry a valid form of photo identification such as a passport or a resident registration card, the NEC said, adding voting hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

They are also asked to check the voters list through the Web sites of the concerned missions or the Ministry of Public Administration and Security until Friday, it said.

Overseas South Koreans became eligible to participate in domestic elections after related legislation was passed by the National Assembly in 2009.

Next month’s parliamentary elections are seen as a precursor to the upcoming presidential race slated for December. President Lee Myung-bak’s single five-year term ends in February 2013 and he is forbidden by law to run for a second term. 

(Yonhap News)