South Koreans back Moon in parliamentary polls amid pandemic

Voters wearing protective masks maintain social distancing while waiting in line at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. - Bloomberg

SEOUL (AFP): South Korean voters turned out in force Wednesday (April 15) to back President Moon Jae-in's handling of the coronavirus epidemic, putting on compulsory face masks and gloves to give his Democratic party a parliamentary majority according to exit polls.

South Korea was among the first countries with a major virus outbreak to hold a national election since the global pandemic began, and a raft of safety measures were in place around the vote.