[Report] First Day of Overseas Voting... "I Came from Neimenggu to Beijing"

The 22nd National Assembly Election Overseas Korean Voting Site
"Hoping for the Implementation of Sensible Policies"

"I came from Neimenggu to vote. I hope Korea moves in the right direction and sensible policies are implemented."

On the 27th, entrepreneur Park Jeong-su, whom we met at the overseas Korean voting station at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China, came to Beijing from Baotou, Neimenggu to vote that day. The distance from Baotou to Beijing is about 650 km. It is a distance that requires driving for 7 hours without rest.

Overseas Koreans are waiting to vote at a polling station inside the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. (Photo by Hyunjung Kim)

Park said, "It is inconvenient, but I hope Korea goes in the right direction," adding, "Distance does not matter." He also added, "Recently, when talking with Chinese people, it seems that the good image of Korea has diminished a lot." Lee Rae-gyo, 22, who is attending Beijing Normal University, said, "This is my first time voting as an overseas Korean," and added, "The election officer guided me on the voting schedule, so I decided to vote."

That day was the first day of overseas voting ahead of the 22nd National Assembly election starting on the 10th of next month. In China, voting is possible for six days until the 1st of next month. For this election, 17,095 people applied to vote in China, and 2,583 people preregistered in the Beijing electoral district. Among the applicants in China, the Shanghai region has the highest number with 6,630 people. Considering the precedent that about 60% of preregistered voters actually voted locally, it is expected that the number of voters in Beijing this year will be less than 2,000.

As is typical in voting atmospheres, the number of voters in overseas elections for the National Assembly is significantly lower compared to presidential elections. In the 2016 20th National Assembly election, the number of Korean voters in China was only 8,524 (3,977 in the jurisdiction of the Embassy of Korea in China), but in the 2017 19th presidential election, the number of voters reached 35,352 (11,192 in the embassy’s jurisdiction). Similar trends were seen in the 2020 21st National Assembly election (9,385 in China, 1,556 in the embassy’s jurisdiction) and the 2022 20th presidential election (20,459 in China, 3,788 in the embassy’s jurisdiction).

Reasons for the Decrease in Overseas Election Voters

Deterioration of bilateral relations and accessibility issues are also evaluated as recent factors for the decrease in voter numbers. Ahn Jeong-su, chairman of the Overseas Election Management Committee at the Embassy of Korea in China, explained, "When overseas voting was first implemented (in 2012), the Korean community in China was close to 180,000," adding, "The cooling of bilateral relations and the decrease in the Korean community are the biggest reasons for the decline in voter numbers." Chairman Ahn further explained, "Due to budget and other issues, election committee members who used to work full days during past election periods now only visit the site like on-duty staff." Ko Tak-hee, president of the Federation of Korean Associations in China, who visited the site to vote that day, said, "It is regrettable that the number of voters is gradually decreasing due to accessibility limitations," adding, "We encouraged voting among 62 Korean associations in China, but it feels quieter than in previous years."

The election committee operates shuttle buses between Tianjin and the city to encourage voting participation among the Korean residents in Beijing’s Korean residential areas. Voting stations in China are set up at the Chinese Embassy (Beijing), Guangzhou Consulate General, Shanghai Consulate General, Shenyang Consulate General, Xi’an Consulate General, Wuhan Consulate General, Chengdu Consulate General, Qingdao Consulate General, Hong Kong Consulate General, and Dalian branch office.

Meanwhile, among overseas Koreans, those registered in the overseas absentee voter list or overseas election voter list through overseas absentee registration can vote abroad. To vote, one must bring identification such as a passport or other photo ID (resident registration card, driver’s license, or other official ID issued by a Korean government or public institution that can verify identity) and go to the overseas voting station set up at each diplomatic mission. Overseas voters without resident registration must check and bring nationality verification documents posted at each diplomatic mission.