More than 170,000 overseas Koreans in 119 countries will be allowed to vote in the April 15 general elections, the National Election Commission said Tuesday.

The number of eligible overseas voters stood at 171,959, up 11.5 percent from 154,217 four years ago, according to the NEC.

It will be the third time for Korean citizens to participate in parliamentary elections from abroad. The first was in 2012, when a total of 123,571 overseas voters were registered.

Residents in the United States have the lion's share, with 40,562, followed by those in Japan with 21,957, the NEC said.

The commission plans to operate 205 polling stations in the 119 countries from April 1-6. The ballots will be brought to South Korea via diplomatic pouches, the election watchdog said. (Yonhap)