By Chung Min-uck
Less than three out of one hundred of eligible voters living abroad, cast ballots for the April 11 National Assembly elections, according to the National Election Commission (NEC) Tuesday.
Out of 223 million eligible overseas voters, only 56,456 people, or 2.5 percent, took part in the polls.
The overseas vote for the general elections took place at 158 diplomatic missions in 107 countries worldwide starting March 28. Tuesday was the final day of voting.
The low participation rate was predictable as only 123,571, or 5.5 percent of eligible voters registered to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections last month.
The disappointing outcome is likely to add fuel to the controversy concerning the effectiveness of the overseas voting system.
Critics earlier called for an improvement in methodology such as voting via mail or the Internet. They claim the low participatory rate is largely attributable to the inconvenient method of overseas voting.
Under the current Election Law, overseas voters must visit polls established at South Korean missions to register and cast ballots.
To many Koreans living abroad, it is difficult to participate as such diplomatic offices are usually far away from their residences.
The government spent 29.3 billion won ($26 million) on overseas voting.
People living in Asian countries accounted for more than half of the voters followed by people living in America and Europe.
Overseas Koreans who have permanent resident cards, who are on temporary overseas stays or studying abroad were granted the right to vote for general and presidential elections following the passage of a related bill in 2009. The upcoming election is the first trial of the new system.
The NEC will start counting the overseas votes together with ballots cast at home on the day the general elections take place.