Anchor: South Korea's 21st general election kicked off on Wednesday to determine the new occupants of the nation's 300-member unicameral parliament. Voting is under way at a total of 14-thousand-330 polling stations across the country, which will be open to eligible voters from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: South Koreans went to cast ballots this Wednesday to elect 300 lawmakers, riding out fears of COVID-19 infections at polling booths.

[Sound bite: Lee Kum (57) - S. Korean voter / Housewife (Korean)] 
"Although we are going through a difficult period (due to coronavirus), coronavirus and politics are two different things. I am just here to vote with hope for the nation with honesty and without hypocrisy."
[Sound bite: Kang Won-suk (49) Company employee (Korean)] 
"I came to vote in the early morning, before going to work, so the country can go in the right direction for the next few years."

To ensure the safety of voters against the virus, the government devised quarantine measures in and around the voting venues. Temperature checks were conducted on voters, who were also required to wear masks and plastic gloves before touching ballot stamps. They were also advised to stand at least a meter apart while waiting in queues for polling booths, which were already disinfected.

The government also arranged temporary travel routes and separate voting slots for those in mandatory self-quarantine, allowing them to cast ballots after the regular polls close at 6 p.m. More than 20 percent of nearly 60-thousand eligible voters in self-isolation applied to vote.

Wednesday's polling in South Korea marks the first national election held in a country with a major COVID-19 outbreak.  

Many winners of the 253 constituencies will likely be determined by late Wednesday, but official results are expected in the early morning hours of Thursday. Those results will determine whether the liberal ruling Democratic Party can maintain its parliamentary majority against the conservative main opposition United Future party.

Voting results for 47 proportional seats are expected around six hours after district winners are determined as the long list of parties soliciting proportional votes makes hand counting unavoidable. 

A total of 35 parties, some of which are newly created satellites of existing parties, are on the list.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.