"With the 20th general election just around the corner, there is a special exhibition
here at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in downtown Seoul.
It gives us a visual tour of the footsteps of Korea's election system.
From the very first election in 1948...
Korea's electoral system went thorough tumultous times from representative elections to rigged
elections to now free and direct elections.
Therefore, the history of elections here in Korea also represents the history of democracy
in the Republic of Korea.
From the very first vote 68 years ago, Korea's election system and Korea's democracy have
matured to embrace Korean nationals living overseas as well."
The National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea.
Voting day for the 20th National Assembly election may be roughly three weeks away on
April 13th for Koreans living in this country, but voting starts earlier for Korean nationals
living overseas...
it begins in less than a week from today.
Overseas voting system gives Korean nationals living in different parts of the world the
right to express their voice in homeland politics.
"Overseas voting system was introduced in 2009 and practice of overseas voting was conducted
in two elections - national assembly election and presidential election in 2012."
While the number of eligible voters abroad stands at roughly 2 million, voter registration
and turnout rates have been rather disappointing in the last two elections where overseas voting
was practiced.
Out of the small number registered, those who would actually show up to cast ballots
during the voting period... have been even more mediocre.
Voter turnout during the 2012 general election came at just above 45-percent and the presidential
race roughly 70 percent.
For the National Assembly election this year, voter registration tallied at 7-point-8 percent,
or 154-thousand of some 1-point-9-8 million eligible electorates.
"Have there been measures by the NEC the improve the convenience for these overseas voters
to come out and vote?"
"According to the revision of the election law, overseas voters could register on the
website of national election commission of the Republic of Korea easily by themselves
and we put on another polling station in the district that is far from Korean Embassy.
We expend a lot of money for overseas' voting and some people criticize why we expend that
amount of money for overseas voting.
People don't pay taxes, and the low participation, but we respect the right to vote, either the
people live inside Korea or abroad."
As the saying goes, patriotism begins in the voting booth and for all eligible Korean voters
living overseas...
it's an opportunity to start taking part in Korean politics and to keep in touch with
homeland.
Now, with less than a week left until overseas Koreans begin to cast ballots to elect the
nation's members of parliament...
Korean embassies and missions in major cities around the world are busy with last-minute
efforts to encourage voters to come out and vote.
We connect with the electoral attaches at the Republic of Korea missions in Japan and
the United States...
countries with some of the largest population of overseas Koreans.
Counsellors, thank you for speaking with us tonight.
You now have less than a week to gear up for the big day.
How are preparations going?
First, Counsellor Kim in Tokyo and then we'll head over to Counsellor Yoon in Los Angeles,
in that order please.
"Our embassy has two main tasks left for the remaining days: letting more overseas Koreans
know of the voting system, where their respective polling booths are located, and reminding
them to come out and vote.
As candidate lists become finalized, we will continue to roll out reminders on various
Korean-Japanese newspapers such as the Mindan Shimbun, One Korea Daily News and online communities
for Korean students and moms living here in Japan."
"I think we need to now focus on last-minute promotions to encourage more voters to come
out and cast their ballots as well as making sure all goes as planned during the voting
period.
With a change in the election law this time around, we have added two additional polling
stations in the L.A. district - one in Orange County and another in San Diego County.
For the next couple of days, we plan to make sure those new polling locations are all set
and ready to go."
I'm sure these couple of days leading up to the actual voting period will not only be
the busiest time for all of our diplomatic missions across the globe, but a very critical
time as well.
With only a few days left, what is the mood like there on the ground?
This time again, we'll go to Tokyo first and then L.A., Counsellors.
"I can't say that the election participation mood here in Japan is all that positive.
That's because the overall number of Korean nationals in Japan dropped by half as many
students and expats returned to Korea after the March 11th Great East Japan Earthquake
in 2011.
Another factor is a general belief among some Koreans here who took part in the first overseas
voting in the 2012 parliamentary election that elections at home don't necessarily bring
direct benefits to Koreans living abroad.
However, we do believe more eligible voters will participate in next year's presidential
election.
I think what we need to do from here on is to come up with various ways to improve the
current system so that overseas voting can be more convenient and accessible for Koreans
living overseas."
"As for here in the United States, election mood seems to be building up as the overall
interest in politics and elections are high with the primaries for the U.S. presidential
election underway, as well.
Compared to the 2012 general election, 36-hundred more Koreans have registered to vote although
compared to the presidential race, the number is smaller by 32-hundred.
The registeration rate during the 2012 general election was 2-point-3 percent, but the rate
this time is double that at 5-percent.
One of the biggest inconveniences that voters in the U.S. experience is the long distance
to the polling stations.
For instance, for Korean voters living in Las Vegas or Phoenix to cast their ballots...
they would have to drive 6, 7 hours to get to the Consul General's office here in L.A.
That is a huge discouragement for them."
I'm sure more improvements will be made as we carry out more overseas votings for the
upcoming presidential election and many more elections to come.
Thank you both for speaking with us tonight...
All of us here in Korea wish you all the best in successfully carrying out Korea's 20th
legislative elections in your respective countries.
That was Korea's electoral attaches in Tokyo and Los Angeles - two cities with one of the
largest eligible voters' Korean population.
For all Koreans watching arirang Newscenter from abroad... let me remind you again...
voting for overseas Koreans kicks off next Wednesday, March 30th for six days until April
4th at 198 polling stations all across the globe.
Voting is a right.
Exercise your right and have a say in your homeland politics.