EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Jan. 28)

Overseas suffrage

Some 3 million "overseas Koreans" will be able to vote in the next presidential
election here under a revision bill which is likely to be passed as early as next
month. Promoters of overseas suffrage at the ruling Grand National Party are
hailing the forthcoming legislation as "a step forward toward a global Korea,"
giving Koreans living abroad their national identity and a sense of belonging.

"Global Korea" is a great ideal. It means that the nation pursues global
advancement with economic and cultural contributions. It has little to do with
having people who left the country to live abroad remaining concerned with
Korea's domestic politics, and asking them to vote for candidates who have
practically no connection with their lives.
The turbulent modern history of Korea created large Korean enclaves in China,
Japan and the United States. The circumstances of their emigration differ, yet
ethnic Korean communities have exhibited generally strong attachment to the
motherland while the Republic of Korea made them proud by achieving political and
economic advancement in recent decades. Affinity to the native country is
particularly conspicuous among Korean residents in the United States, who had
moved out of Korea relatively recently.
In attempts to improve relations with Washington, past authoritarian governments
in Seoul tried to maintain cooperative ties with Korean residents' associations
in the United States, offering certain official titles to their representatives.
Following democratization in the late 1980s, movements started among overseas
Koreans to gain voting rights in Korean elections. Eventually, the Constitutional
Court last June ruled it unconstitutional not to allow "Korean nationals abroad"
to vote in elections at home.
A National Assembly special committee this week will adopt draft bills which
include provisions that enable not only people temporarily staying overseas but
those with foreign denizenship to vote in presidential elections and National
Assembly elections (for proportional representation seats). Final legislation is
expected during February, thus establishing a close link between overseas Koreans
and politics in the "motherland."
As Korea does not recognize dual citizenship, people with foreign citizenship are
to be excluded from voting in the elections in Korea. Yet, a maximum of 3 million
people will be able to vote from abroad in the next presidential election. That
is a significant number in view of the fact that some elections in Korea have
been decided by margins of just 2 to 3 percent.
Initially, there was sharp partisan discord with the main opposition Democratic
Party insisting on excluding people with foreign residency and allowing only
those temporarily overseas - estimated at 1.5 million - to vote. The DP changed
its position after a survey in the United States concluded that overseas Koreans
were not entirely conservative.
It is of our concern that the highly polarized domestic politics may be extended
to the overseas Korean communities, especially in the times of election
campaigning. It may create unnecessary division among them. Moreover, overseas
voters can be swayed more strongly by personal impressions than by the
candidates' domestic policies. Correct assessment will not be easy from afar.
Parties are recommended to reconsider their positions on overseas suffrage and
limit voting rights to people temporarily overseas for study or business. Rather,
our legislators need to accelerate enhancing political rights of the growing
number of foreign residents here by, first of all, allowing them to take part in
residents' votes on important community affairs, if they are truly dedicated to
the cause of globalization.
(END)