South Korea's election watchdog has suspended its overseas election operations for the April 15 general elections at 41 diplomatic missions in 25 nations due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The National Election Commission(NEC) said on Monday that polling-related work in the foreign countries, including the United States and Canada, has been halted until April 6.

The NEC's decision comes as more countries have heightened mobility restrictions or imposed lockdowns to prevent the virus from spreading further.

Overseas voting has been suspended at 65 diplomatic missions in 40 countries so far,  affecting an estimated 80-thousand-500 people, or 47 percent of eligible voters living abroad.

Overseas voters in countries that are not affected by the measures will be able to cast their ballots from April 1 to 6.