The National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea announced that it held mock overseas voting on July 8 that mimicked the same procedure and method as the actual elections together with the participation of seven organizations in charge of overseas election affairs including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Justice, Korea Post, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Prosecutors'' Office, in preparation for the 21st National Assembly elections to be held in April next year.

In this mock overseas voting, 3,622 overseas citizens participated in 171 diplomatic missions and after the overseas election manager (the head of the diplomatic mission) sends the mock overseas voting record in the diplomatic pouch back to Korea, the NEC will count them on July 17. 

The NEC will evaluate the results of this mock overseas voting and, after reviewing any procedural problems or additional issue, will reflect what was found in measures to manage overseas voting.

Overseas voting was first introduced in 2012 during the 19th National Assembly elections. Since then there has been continuous improvement in the system to facilitate voting and raise voter turnout among overseas Koreans, including establishing a permanent overseas voter’s list, allowing online overseas voter registration and the establishment of additional polling stations outside diplomatic missions.

In order to create a fair election atmosphere ahead of overseas voting during the 21st National Assembly elections, the NEC has strengthened its activities to promote overseas elections and prevent and punish illegal activities. The NEC also said it will fully launch the overseas voting management system, including the establishment of overseas voting committees in diplomatic missions and the operation of an overseas voting situation room, in October and asked for citizen’s interest and participation in the overseas voting for 21st National Assembly elections.