South Koreans living outside of the country will begin casting their ballots for the April 13 parliamentary elections later this week, the state election office said Tuesday.

The overseas vote for the general elections will kick off on Wednesday for a six-day run at 198 polling stations in 113 different countries worldwide, the National Election Commission said.

The first polling station will be opened at a South Korean mission in Auckland, New Zealand, according to the commission.

A total of 154,217 people, or 7.8 percent of some 1.98 million eligible citizens living abroad, have registered to cast their ballots, the NEC said.

The commission said that the registration numbers were higher than the previous parliamentary election held in 2012 thanks to the number of increased polling stations and easier registration process.

Registered voters are required to carry a valid form of photo identification such as a passport or a resident registration card and visit a nearby polling station, the NEC said.

Overseas South Koreans became eligible to participate in domestic parliamentary and presidential elections after related legislation was passed by the National Assembly in 2009. (Yonhap)