"Voting is Power"... 'June 3 Presidential Election' Campaign - ⑧ Migrant Women

"Voting = Rights": Achieving an Equal Society with a Single Vote
Raising Awareness of Suffrage as Community Members and Political Agents
"Reclaiming Precious Rights" Event Held at Gwangsan Family Center
Mayor Kang Kijeong Discusses the Meaning of Voting and Multicultural Policies

On the morning of the 22nd, Gwangju Mayor Kang Kijeong attended the "Gwangju Migrant Women Voting Participation Campaign" held at the Gwangsan-gu Family Center, encouraged voting participation with Park Byungkyu, head of Gwangsan-gu Office, and then took a commemorative photo. Provided by Gwangju City

Gwangju City is taking action to encourage voting participation among approximately 3,900 migrant women residing in Gwangju, in order to guarantee their suffrage ahead of the 21st presidential election scheduled for June 3.

On the 22nd, Gwangju City held the "Gwangju Migrant Women: Reclaiming Precious Rights through Voting Participation" campaign at the Gwangsan-gu Family Center (Songjeong Danuri Center). Under the slogan "Voting is Power," the campaign aimed to encourage migrant women to step forward confidently as members of the local community and as political agents.

The campaign especially focused on highlighting the importance of women's suffrage and raising awareness in the local community of the political presence of migrant women voters. Participants included Gwangju Mayor Kang Kijeong, Gwangsan-gu Office head Park Byungkyu, around 50 migrant women, Noh Hyokyung, director of Buk-gu Family Center, Jang Eunmi, director of Gwangsan-gu Family Center, and Yoon Hyekyung, director of Seo-gu Family Center.

During the event, Mayor Kang discussed the meaning of voting, the value of democracy, the role of voters, and multicultural policies with the migrant women.

There was also a session where migrant women with voting experience, such as Go Mokgeum (originally from China) and Lee Miseon (originally from Mongolia), explained voting procedures and answered questions for those participating in an election for the first time or unfamiliar with the voting process.

A participant from Vietnam, who gained the right to vote after 14 years of living in Korea and will be casting her first ballot, said, "I am so happy to be able to have a voice as a citizen of the Republic of Korea," and added, "I will definitely participate in this presidential election with the hope that my children will grow up confidently as children of Korean citizens, rather than being recognized only as children from multicultural families."

B, a participant from China and a mother of two, said, "I have never voted in China, so my first-ever vote will be in the June 3 presidential election, which makes me very excited. I will proudly share this with my family back in China," and added, "I want to elect an excellent president and help create a better Republic of Korea."

Mayor Kang emphasized, "Voting is the power to tell your own story. Through voting, you can raise your voice on multicultural policies and help build the inclusive city we dream of. Although it may seem like an impossible dream, I ask everyone to join hands as we strive for Gwangju's valuable voter turnout rate of 92.5%."

Meanwhile, Gwangju City is running the "Voting Participation Campaign - Voting is Power" to promote the importance of voting as a constitutional right and to ensure that all generations can participate as responsible voters. The city is implementing tailored support measures, including encouraging youth participation such as first-time voters at age 18, guaranteeing practical voting rights for workers, and ensuring convenient access to polling stations.