By Jane Han
DALLAS ― As South Korea gears up for an unprecedented presidential election in May, the number of overseas voters who have long been considered a passive bloc is expected to reach a record high.
More than 23,000 voters have registered on the first day of registration, a seven-fold jump compared to the first day figure during the most recent presidential election, according to the National Election Commission (NEC).
Kim Mi-ae, 41, who lives in Dallas, is one of many who took action as soon as registration began.
''There was no reason to wait,'' she said. ''Ultimately, the opportunity to vote for a new leader is what we've been fighting for over the past couple months.''
Stella Kim, 38, a mother of two in Los Angeles, who has been a local activist for victims of the Sewol ferry disaster that happened in April 2014, called registering to vote in the upcoming presidential election a ''hard-earned crucial step toward transformation.''
''We earned this together,'' she said. ''Anyone who has any love for their mother country must vote. There should be no excuses after seeing how our nation has been flipped upside down over the past six months.''
This type of highly charged political sentiment is the main driver behind the spike in overseas voter interest.
''The impeachment process has shaken Korean society here in the U.S.,'' Kim Dong-suk, founder and chairman of the New York-based Korean American Civic Empowerment (KACE). ''Interest in Korean politics has intensified even for those who didn't care much about it in the past. This rise in attention is naturally leading to a higher participation in voting.''
Kim, however, added that such ''emotional interest'' needs to consistently carry through among a majority of potential voters in order to see strong numbers at the polls.
Consul General Baik Joo-hyeon of Houston is optimistic that the turnout will be the highest in history.
''The level of interest is extraordinary and this is evident in the registration so far,'' Baik said.
As of Mar. 21, nearly 120,000 expatriate voters worldwide have registered with the number continuing to go up. The current figure already makes up more than 50 percent of the voter turnout in the last presidential election in 2012.
Baik, who currently oversees five states ― Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma ― says a significantly shorter registration period is the only different variable that may cut short the voter turnout.
Overseas voters typically get 90 days to register, but only 20 days for the election scheduled for May 9.
''Koreans both at home and overseas share the same nature of hope and expectation from politics,'' Baik said, adding that residents specifically in the U.S., who make up the biggest chunk of expatriate voters among 116 countries, will likely seek a policy that favors strong political and economic bilateral relations between the U.S. and Korea.
DALLAS ― As South Korea gears up for an unprecedented presidential election in May, the number of overseas voters who have long been considered a passive bloc is expected to reach a record high.
More than 23,000 voters have registered on the first day of registration, a seven-fold jump compared to the first day figure during the most recent presidential election, according to the National Election Commission (NEC).
Kim Mi-ae, 41, who lives in Dallas, is one of many who took action as soon as registration began.
''There was no reason to wait,'' she said. ''Ultimately, the opportunity to vote for a new leader is what we've been fighting for over the past couple months.''
Stella Kim, 38, a mother of two in Los Angeles, who has been a local activist for victims of the Sewol ferry disaster that happened in April 2014, called registering to vote in the upcoming presidential election a ''hard-earned crucial step toward transformation.''
''We earned this together,'' she said. ''Anyone who has any love for their mother country must vote. There should be no excuses after seeing how our nation has been flipped upside down over the past six months.''
This type of highly charged political sentiment is the main driver behind the spike in overseas voter interest.
''The impeachment process has shaken Korean society here in the U.S.,'' Kim Dong-suk, founder and chairman of the New York-based Korean American Civic Empowerment (KACE). ''Interest in Korean politics has intensified even for those who didn't care much about it in the past. This rise in attention is naturally leading to a higher participation in voting.''
Kim, however, added that such ''emotional interest'' needs to consistently carry through among a majority of potential voters in order to see strong numbers at the polls.
Consul General Baik Joo-hyeon of Houston is optimistic that the turnout will be the highest in history.
''The level of interest is extraordinary and this is evident in the registration so far,'' Baik said.
As of Mar. 21, nearly 120,000 expatriate voters worldwide have registered with the number continuing to go up. The current figure already makes up more than 50 percent of the voter turnout in the last presidential election in 2012.
Baik, who currently oversees five states ― Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma ― says a significantly shorter registration period is the only different variable that may cut short the voter turnout.
Overseas voters typically get 90 days to register, but only 20 days for the election scheduled for May 9.
''Koreans both at home and overseas share the same nature of hope and expectation from politics,'' Baik said, adding that residents specifically in the U.S., who make up the biggest chunk of expatriate voters among 116 countries, will likely seek a policy that favors strong political and economic bilateral relations between the U.S. and Korea.
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