South Korean coronavirus patients vote as parliamentary election kicks off

South Korean President Moon Jae-in wearing a mask and a plastic gloves to prevent contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), arrives to cast his absentee ballot at a polling station for parliamentary election in Seoul, South Korea, April 10, 2020. Yonhap via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) - Early voting in South Korea's parliamentary election kicked off on Friday, with coronavirus patients casting ballots at designated stations and candidates adopting new ways of campaigning to limit the risk of contagion.

The National Election Commission (NEC) set up eight polling stations to be used by more than 3,000 coronavirus patients receiving treatment as well as 900 medical staff at treatment centres in hard-hit areas, including the capital Seoul and Daegu city.