Overseas Koreans Who Voted Early... "Confusion Due to Unification, Difficult to Choose Until the End"

Interview with 6 Overseas Koreans Living in the US and UK
Concerns Over Resignation Possibility Amid Unification and Solidarity Issues
"Considering Abstention Due to Feeling There Is No Candidate to Vote For"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Overseas Koreans who exercised their voting rights first in this presidential election unanimously said, "There was no candidate worth voting for." Since they voted about a week earlier than in Korea, they expressed concerns that their votes might become wasted votes due to the still possible unification and coalition among candidates.

According to interviews conducted with overseas Koreans who completed voting from the 23rd to the 28th of last month, the incomplete candidate consolidation caused confusion among voters due to ongoing efforts for unification and coalition. Kang (20s), residing in the United States and voting in this election, said, "I was confused until just before voting because of the unification issue," adding, "Depending on whether unification happens, the vote I cast could become a wasted vote, so it was difficult to decide until the last moment." Another woman in her 20s living in the U.S. also criticized, "I just feel sorry for the candidates still discussing (unification) like that."

As fluid situations such as possible candidate withdrawals continued, some overseas Koreans criticized this election as one of the lowest quality in history. Oh, who voted in the U.S., said, "This election makes me question whether the candidates are qualified to be president," and added, "I thought it would be difficult whichever side wins, but I voted with the mindset of choosing the lesser evil to avoid the worst." Shin Joo-eun (29), living in the UK, said, "I even considered abstaining because I felt there was no candidate to vote for."

The overseas voting for this presidential election was held in 219 polling stations across 115 countries (177 overseas diplomatic missions), with a total of 226,162 eligible overseas voters. Presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party, and Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party targeted overseas Korean voters with pledges such as establishing the Overseas Korean Affairs Office, while Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party proposed the permanent operation of a Presidential Committee on Overseas Koreans to appeal to overseas voters.

Son Seok-hyun (29), residing in the UK, said, "I have not heard of any pledges targeting overseas Koreans," and Song Joo-hyang (30) also evaluated, "As an overseas absentee voter, I do not have high expectations that the presidential election will significantly affect my daily life."