Tokyo/Beijing, May 20
South Korean nationals living or staying abroad went to the polls on Tuesday to pick a new president as overseas voting was underway ahead of the June 3 election, according to embassy officials.
The out-of-country voting will run for six days, with more than 258,000 South Korean nationals, including those registered as absentee voters, eligible to vote at 223 polling stations across 118 countries.
In Japan, some 38,000 out of 411,000 South Korean nationals aged 18 or over with voting rights registered to vote, the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo said.
Polling stations have been set up in Tokyo and other major cities like Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe, Sapporo, Sendai and Fukuoka.
Park Cheol-hee, South Korea's ambassador to Japan, was among those who cast their ballots earlier in the day.
"It's very important for overseas Koreans to exercise their right to vote for the progress of Korea," Park told reporters after voting. "I'd like to encourage as many people as possible to visit the polling stations, even if they're busy."
Ten polling stations have been set up in China, including the South Korean Embassy in Beijing and the consulates general in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Xian, Wuhan, Chengdu, Qingdao and Hong Kong, as well as the consular office in Dalian.
Of the 4,218 registered voters, 250 nationals came to cast their ballots during the day, an embassy official in Beijing said.