March 27 - April 1 22nd General Election Overseas Voting
"Be Sure to Exercise Your Rights" Praised by Netizens
As of the 1st, overseas voting for the 22nd National Assembly election took place, and a story about a couple who traveled an astonishing 800km from Phuket to Bangkok to vote has attracted attention. On the 1st, a post titled 'Thailand Overseas Election Review' was uploaded to an online community. The author, Mr. A, stated, "On the 30th of last month, my wife and I went overseas voting from our residence in Phuket to Bangkok, which is about 800 km away."
For this general election, the overseas voting station in Thailand was set up at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Bangkok. Mr. A said, "This is my second time voting, following 2020. Back then, I flew to Bangkok because my daughter was young. This time, I decided to combine my bucket list item of 'driving from Phuket to Bangkok' with overseas voting." He added, "I promised my daughter that I would buy her Jajangmyeon and Tteokbokki in Bangkok, so she accompanied us. Since Phuket is far from Bangkok, we took a 4-day, 3-night trip." The photos he attached show that it takes about 12 hours by car from their residence in Phuket to the embassy in Bangkok.
Mr. A said, "The embassy staff and officials prepared everything well, so we completed voting quickly and conveniently." He also mentioned, "I enjoyed the coffee and snacks prepared on one side." He shared a side story that driving at night was difficult because many roads in Thailand lack streetlights.
He said, "Although it was physically exhausting, it was a meaningful journey as it naturally provided a learning opportunity to teach my daughter the importance of elections." He added, "Everyone, please make sure to exercise your rights on the upcoming general election day." Netizens who heard the story responded with comments such as, "This is why the country doesn't fail," "Tears are welling up," "A true patriot," "I also completed voting in Japan!", and "Many people don't even go to the community center 100 meters away, so this is really amazing."
Overseas Voting Rate at 45.3% on the 31st... Onboard Voting Begins on the 2nd
Overseas voting for the 22nd National Assembly election was conducted over five days at 220 polling stations in 115 countries (178 overseas missions) worldwide, starting from the New Zealand Embassy and Auckland Consulate General overseas voting stations on the 27th of last month (4 a.m. Korean time). The number of overseas voters was 147,989, which is 14% less than the 21st general election and 34.6% less than the previous presidential election. According to the National Election Commission, the overseas voting rate was recorded at 45.3% as of noon on the 31st of last month.
From the 2nd, onboard voting will be conducted until the 5th for 2,050 voters on 308 vessels, including deep-sea fishing boats captained by Korean nationals. Early voting will be available on the 5th and 6th at early voting stations set up nationwide.
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