Overseas S. Korean troops cast ballots for presidential election

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean troops deployed overseas have begun to hit the polls as out-of-country voting started this week ahead of the June 3 presidential election, the military said Friday.

Voting for some 1,000 troops stationed overseas began on Tuesday and will run through Sunday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

Polls were installed within the Dongmyeong unit in Lebanon and Hanbit unit in South Sudan, with officials from the defense and foreign ministries and the election watchdog dispatched as observers.

Other service members will vote at nearby South Korean overseas missions, the JCS said.

Overseas voting for South Korean nationals living or staying abroad began Tuesday, with more than 258,000 South Korean nationals, including those registered as absentee voters, eligible to vote at 223 polling stations across 118 countries.

mlee@yna.co.kr
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