Overseas media are closely following South Korea's general elections on Wednesday as the first major election worldwide since the coronavirus outbreak was underway.

British broadcaster BBC noted that, despite fears of chaos by some critics, pre-voting was conducted in a calm manner and even said the infection panic didn't impact voters at all, pointing to the all-time high pre-voting rate of 26 percent.

The BBC praised South Korea for again showing the world what is possible amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bloomberg reported that the biggest elections since the virus outbreak began is taking place and that it can set a model for leaders of countries around the world.

Should the ruling party claim an overwhelming victory, it would demonstrate to countries like Japan or Singapore whether pushing ahead with election plans would be politically worthwhile.