South Korean lawmakers raise concerns over Chinese voters

SEOUL, South Korea — Members of South Korea’s ruling conservative get together have proposed a invoice that might place tighter restrictions on the voting rights of international everlasting residents in native elections, which they insist is important to guard the nation’s democracy from being undermined by Chinese language voters.

Critics say the efforts to move the invoice may exacerbate racism and hatred towards Chinese language individuals dwelling in South Korea and could be a step again in an more and more multicultural society that should embrace immigration to make up for an growing older and shrinking inhabitants.

Folks Energy Get together lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, an in depth ally of President Yoon Suk Yeol, stated Tuesday it has change into essential to forestall the voting system from being exploited as a “maneuvering software” by different governments. He stated, with out elaborating, that there’s “important” public concern over the political affect of Chinese language nationals, who accounted for practically 100,000 of the 127,600 foreigners with voting rights as of March.

“Most of our residents dwelling abroad don’t have voting rights (within the international locations they dwell in),” Kweon stated on Fb. “(Voting) is clearly unattainable in communist international locations like China, and the US and Britain are solely giving voting rights to these with citizenship,” which suggests South Korea’s voting legal guidelines go in opposition to the precept of reciprocity, he stated.

Below present legislation, international nationals with not less than three years of everlasting residency are eligible to vote for mayors, governors, and native council members.

The invoice, submitted by Kwon and 17 different members of his get together, limits voting rights to foreigners who’ve lived in South Korea for not less than 5 years after turning into everlasting residents and are from international locations which, by treaty or related agreements, additionally permit South Korean everlasting residents to vote of their elections. Officers at South Korea’s Nationwide Election Fee couldn’t instantly affirm whether or not there are any international locations that at the moment match that standards.

“The variety of international nationals staying within the nation is growing, and when their tendency to dwell concentrated in sure areas is mixed with the traits of the native elections, there’s excessive concern that the opinions of our individuals could be distorted,” the lawmakers stated in a press release describing why they drafted the invoice. They talked about issues expressed by the Canadian and Australian governments this yr over alleged Chinese language makes an attempt to affect home politics and meddle of their elections.

Han Sang-hie, a legislation professor at Seoul’s Konkuk College, stated the issues raised by South Korean lawmakers are exaggerated, noting that foreigners solely vote for native officers and aren’t eligible in elections for lawmakers or heads of state.

“Native politics aren’t about distinguishing between nationalities — they’re extra about offering methods for individuals who intend to completely reside (in that space) to enhance their lives and resolve their issues by way of a democratic platform,” Han stated.

“South Korea isn’t actually an open nation that simply offers out everlasting residency standing, and people who obtain that standing after a sure interval are already blended into their native communities as residents,” he stated. He stated the invoice would infringe upon the rights of migrants married to South Koreans and different teams and sure encourage hatred towards Chinese language residents.

Whereas China stays South Korea’s largest commerce accomplice, their relations have change into difficult over threats posed by North Korea’s rising nuclear weapons program and an intensifying rivalry between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan, human rights, and industrial provide chains.

South Korea has known as on China to be extra assertive in efforts to tame the nuclear ambitions of North Korea, which is dependent upon Beijing as its fundamental ally and financial lifeline.

China, which together with Russia has rejected U.S.-led efforts to tighten U.N. Safety Council sanctions on North Korea over its accelerated missile testing this yr, is worried over the strengthened three-way safety cooperation between Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Beijing has additionally expressed unease over a rising expertise alliance between Washington and Seoul, which it sees as an try to maneuver provide chains away from China.